Blossoms in the Dust
by JauntyChick
Summary: GregOC Fluff, angst, LOTS of drama all rolled into one! Allie Moore is the new lab rat, but can a certain Greg Sanders win her over? Completed as of 17th Nov. 2007!
1. Chapter 1

15 March

Prologue

It's 6:27PM on Thursday. As I'm sitting here writing this out to you, my dog, Gus, is settled at my feet, growling occasionally at the roving leaves. I have a cup of hot chocolate in one hand and a pen in the other. For some strange reason, inspiration grabbed hold of me this evening and shook me until I felt compelled to write down some things that have been happening recently. As you'll find out, I'm not much of a writer.

My name is Allie Moore. I'm 27, and I live in Las Vegas with my brother – Dylan-and dog. My mother lives in Miami with her husband – Carl – and my father lives in Henderson. They split up about ten years ago due to "irreconcilable differences". Don't ask me how I ended up with Dylan. Anyway, I've been working in the Las Vegas Crime Lab for nearly three years now, and for the most part it's been great! I've met a lot of nice people, sat in a room for seven and a half minutes with a murderer and I held a snake once. Things I'd never have been able to do if me and my family hadn't moved out of our tiny house in Utah.

I guess this story starts two years ago. Greg Sanders was, basically, my best friend. At first, he bugged me. Then, when I got to know him, I found that he wasn't so bad…

So here goes… I hope you enjoy my story.


	2. Chapter One

Ch. 1.

"Hey, Al, you got those blood results yet? Grissom needs them ASAP." Greg Sanders flounced over to Allie Moore's desk, carrying a suspicious bunch of files in his hand. Allie glanced up.

"Oh, hey. No… I got side-tracked. Sorry." Allie stood up from the microscope. She was tall, around 5" 8', with long, dark hair and nearly black eyes. Greg couldn't help but stare. He'd known Allie for seven months. Instantly he liked her. He had thought about asking her out on a date, but nerves got the better of him. "Are you alright, Sanders?" Another thing about her – she almost never called him by his first name. He smiled.

"Yeah, just a little tired." Recently, a single man had moved into the apartment beneath Greg. At first he seemed nice, quiet, civil. This was not the case. It seemed as though, after 9PM, Alistair Steadman turned into Marilyn Manson, playing rock music at all hours.

Allie shook her head.

"Why don't you go and talk to the guy? Or better yet, do the same to him. Play something loud… Otep, that sort of thing." She walked to the other end of the room. Greg followed her.

"I can't do that. I'm too nice." He smiled a full beam smile. His hair was spiked, with the two sides shaved off. Allie scoffed.

"Yeah, you…too nice. That'll be the day."

"Words hurt, missy." Greg feigned a look of shock. Allie laughed, returning to her business. Greg noticed how she bit her lower lip when she was concentrating. He noticed a lot of things about Allie. She has a scar in her eyebrow from falling on a table when she was three; She tends to twirl her hair when no one's looking; Her foot shakes uncontrollably when she's nervous; The fact that she hates fish; She always wears red on a Wednesday; not including the fact that Greg had pretty much fallen in love with her when she walked through the door of the lab.

"Oh! Did you hear about Grissom and Sara?" Suddenly, Allie's eyes widened as she spoke. She started talking again before Greg had a chance to respond. "Apparently, they were at a crime scene, some dead guy that lived in Henderson… Anyway, someone saw Sara kneel down to Grissom and kiss him. Well, they saw her lean in. Actually…" She noticed Greg smirking at her. "what?"

He shook his head. "You really love your gossip, don't you?"

"Why, yes I do." Allie smiled. "Any scandal with you?" She motioned for her and Greg to sit down.

"Uh, my mom called. Apparently my sister's pregnant again. She doesn't want any of us to know though."

"That's nice." Allie swept a stray lock of hair from her face. "How's Papa Olaf?"

"Good. He's living with my aunt Greta for a while. My mom and dad are getting the house painted." Greg blinked. "How's your dad doing?"

Allie shrugged. "Meh. He's got a new job. Working as a bellhop. Sorry, _bellman_." Greg nodded. "I met Carl a few weeks ago. He's nice."

Greg picked up an un-used cotton swab and started fiddling with the end of it. "Nice?" He repeated.

"Yep. Nice. Kind of shiny looking. Shorter than me. Wears a suit. Likes sushi. Definitely wears a wig. So, yeah. _Nice_. Just not my mom's type." Allie took a strand of hair and started twirling it around her finger. She started smiling. "His daughter's dating a guy twice her age, though. And Carl doesn't know."

"Scandal and gossip." Greg stood up. "Anyway, I gotta go." Greg loitered in the room for a few seconds before walking to the door. "Al-"

"Greg-"

"Oh, uh, you first." Greg waved a hand at Allie. She nodded.

"Take care, was what I was saying. So, uh," A nervous laugh escaped her lips. Greg got the feeling that this wasn't her original train of thought. "What were you gonna say?"

He narrowed his eyes and shrugged.

"Nothing. Say hi to Dylan for me."

"Oh." Allie felt somehow empty. She knew that every Friday for seven months, Greg stopped at the door and attempted to ask her to dinner. It usually only came out as 'see you on Monday'. She sighed.

"See you on Monday, then." Greg nodded and walked out

As he walked past the break-room, Nick Stokes noticed Greg Sanders sitting at the table scowling into his cup of coffee.

"Hey. How's things?"

Greg forced a weak smile and looked up at Nick. "Oh, hey."

Nick frowned. "Something wrong, Greg? You're not looking so…" He trailed off. Greg sighed heavily, for what seemed like the millionth time.

"Just Allie."

The dark-haired Texan rolled his eyes. "You're still harping on Allie? C'mon, man. Just ask her out already! I've told you, she'll say yes."

"You don't know that for sure." Greg's voice had turned to barely a whisper. Nick shook his head and tutted.

"Well, I happen to be optimistic." Nick poured himself a mug of fresh coffee, added sugar and stirred. "You seen Warrick today? We were supposed to be going for lunch sometime. Haven't seen too much of him since he married Leigh."

Greg snickered. "It must be tough, being the other woman." Nick's eyebrows furrowed at this comment.

"Meaning?"

"Well, before Leigh...you and Warrick were like a married couple. Now that he really is married, I guess you'd be the mistress." Greg stood up, walked to the sink and poured away his coffee. "Either that, or our colleague is a practitioner of polygamy."

"Well, why do I have to be the woman?"

Greg rolled his eyes at Nick. Sometimes he just didn't know how to take a joke.

"Anyway, my mom's in town this week. She's coming here for the day, but I don't want her roaming around." Nick stated, glancing at the ceiling. "Maybe you could take her-"

"Nope." Greg drew a sharp breath. "Absolutely not. She's your mother. Not mine."

Nick smiled. "Go on, you'll love her."

"No, thank you."

"Fine. I'll make you a deal, then." Nick arched an eyebrow. Greg looked up from his coffee, suddenly interested.

"What?"

"If you take my mother out to lunch, dinner –whatever, I'll get Allie to go out with you." Nick saw Greg's eyes light up. "_Only_ if you take my mom out somewhere."

Greg thought about this for a few moments before deciding to o ahead with it. When Nick put it in that context, it didn't seem too unreasonable.

"Done" He saw the relief in Nick's eyes. "_Only _if Allie says yes."

"Great."

"Great."

With that, the two men parted company. Greg sighed and sat back in his chair.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

_A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed the first two chapters… this is my first CSI fic. No flames, but please read and review…if you do – I'll give you a cookie! Thanks! _

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	3. Chapter Two

Ch. 2

Later that evening, back at her own house, Allie was seated on her couch. Dylan was over at his friend Frank's house. Dylan was 5" 10', quiet with dark hair - usually contorted into spikes. There was a sort of feeling that resounded whenever Dylan entered the room. No matter how bad the situation, he always found a way to make people smile. Allie was sitting watching a soap opera when the phone rang. She got up to answer it.

"Hello." She greeted.

"Hi, Allie." It was Diane, Frank's mother. Allie had known Diane since she was a teenager. She was a short, slender woman with blonde hair and green eyes.

"Diane! I meant to call you earlier to ask about Dylan. How is he?"

"Well, he was in a bit of an accident, but-"

"What? What happened?" Allie stood up from her chair, concerned.

"He and Frank were on the trampoline. Some kid from down the street yelled at him, about his mom being, uh, a hussy. To put it politely." Diane paused. Allie held her hand up to her mouth. "He broke his leg."

"Oh, God, Diane. I'm so sorry."

"Now, it's not your fault. Just that, _that little kid_." Diane spat the word out.

"Never mind him." Allie sighed. "How's Frank. Did he brake anything?"

"No, Frank's fine. He has a little scratch on his face but nothing else. We're at the hospital now. Dylan asked me to phone you. I'm sorry, Allie."

"Alright Diane. I'll be over soon. Thank you."

"Bye."

Allie clicked off and got to work.

After getting together a small bag of flotsam for Dylan, Allie fed her brown retriever Rufus. She'd had Rufus for about two years. He was like another family member. Allie groaned, got her coat and headed out to her car. As she tried to start the ignition, a loud noise came from behind. Allie swore under her breath and got out to check the problem. It seemed that her battery had ran out sometime after she returned from work. She slapped the side of her face, frustrated. Her phone started to ring. It was Nick. She half-smiled.

"Hey, Nick."

"Allie, hey. How's it going?"'

"It's not, really."

"What's wrong?"

"Dylan's in hospital. Broken leg. _And _my car won't start. I think my battery's out."

"Well, where are you?" Nick cleared his throat.

"Outside my house. I'm getting a cab, though, so don't worry." Allie bobbed her head back and forth, pulling the back of her blue T-shirt down.

"Actually, Greg here's not doing anything…why don't I send him over?"

Allie pondered for a few seconds.

"That's okay, Nicky. Just as easy getting a cab."

"No, really, I insist." Allie could've sworn she heard Nick shoosh someone in the background.

"Alright, if it's okay with Greg." She conceded.

"He'll be over in ten minutes." Nick clicked off.

Back at Nick's house, he and Greg were sat at his kitchen table. Nick's house was small, but not overtly so. His kitchen was beige, with a singular wall painted red. There was a fridge, freezer and oven. Most of the counters were occupied by appliances. The sitting room was white with a chocolate brown feature wall, with plain coving. Two couches, a coffee table, a brown rug, some lights and a TV were the only items of furniture that Nick considered necessary. Greg noticed the distinct lack of mess, compared with the likes of his own house.

"I cannot believe you just did that." Greg buried his head in his hands. Nick smiled, pouring himself another cup of coffee.

"Hey, man, just our luck to call at that precise time." He shook his head, disbelievingly. Greg rolled his eyes.

"Just _your_ luck, you mean." He threw his hands up, sighing. "I guess I'd better go then. Her own house?"

"Yep. Good luck, Greg." Nick handed him the keys to his Tahoe.

"What's this for?" The dark haired man grinned.

"Better than your own car." Nick laughed.

"And here I thought you were doing this out of the goodness of your heart." Greg tutted as he walked out of Nick's door. "And, uh, this doesn't mean that I'm going to take your mom out. Allie hasn't said yes yet."

Greg glided out to the car leaving Nick shaking his head, peeved.

_A/N: More to come…please R&R!_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_

_Disclaimer: I don't own CBS, CSI or any of their affiliates. _


	4. Chapter Three

Ch. 3

No more than ten minutes later, Greg Sanders was stood on Allie's porch knocking at her door. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a white shirt with light blue stripes and a newly acquired pair of classic black-and-white Vans. He had parked Nick's Tahoe at the bottom of the drive. Allie's garden was minimal, to say the least. She had a few climbing plants sidling onto her porch. Her grass was neat and there was a large shed hidden around the back. It was a cold night, but the moon illuminated everything in the garden. Including a small gnome at the foot of her drive.

Moments later, Allie appeared at the door.

"Sanders! Thank you so much! I'm sorry about this, but my car broke down and I have to get to the hospital because Dylan-"

"Hey, it's okay." Greg smiled at Allie. "Don't worry about it." She bobbed her head side to side and closed the door behind her before locking it.

"We ready?" She asked, quietly. Her hair had gone awry; fringe hanging across her forehead messily whilst the rest of her hair was pulled back by a scrunchie. Greg nodded and pointed to Nick's car.

After five minutes of silence, Greg decided to try and get something out of Allie.

"So, anything strange happen today?"

Allie arched her eyebrow and smiled.

"Dylan broke his leg after some boy humiliated him in front of a reasonable amount of teenagers that he goes to school with. Now he's going to be off for summer and I'll have to look after him." Allie glanced at an imaginary something in her hand. "I was going to take him to my mom's new house for a while, but…"

Greg turned another corner. "Hey, sorry Sanders. I don't mean to get you down or anything here…" He smiled widely, but waited for a few minutes before speaking again.

"Allie?"

"Mm?"

"Why don't you call me Greg?" A simple question, but perplexing nonetheless.

Allie laughed. "What?" He asked, confused.

"You've gone all this time without asking me that…" She glanced at him, smiling. "Sanders." He laughed. "Why is that?"

"It just crossed my mind, is all."

"You want me to stop it, Sanders?" Now she was just doing it to annoy him, Greg figured.

"Not at all, Moore."

They smiled, as Greg pulled up into the hospital's car-park. Allie started to get out of the Tahoe. As she tried to slide out, Greg caught hold of her hand. Taken aback, Allie turned round. "Yes?"

"I, uh, never got my answer."

Allie smiled mischievously. "I got mine."

They looked at each other for a few moments before Allie tore her eyes away and stared at the hospital door. She cleared her throat.

"Do you wanna head home, or-"

"Nah, I'll wait. Mind if I come in with you?"

"Nope. I'll be at the desk."

As much as Allie loved her brother, she wondered if he'd mind if she snuck out and waited back at the house for him. She'd always had an aversion to hospitals – even the waiting rooms. When she was eight, she had to get her tonsils out. At twelve, she had to get her arm stitched up after falling from a tree. She watched as several men crowded around the desk as a harassed nurse frantically searched through some files. Just as she was thinking about where in your body the spleen was located, Greg came wandered over with two cups of coffee.

"Yellow." He stated, grinning. Allie raised her eyebrows and took a cup from Greg.

"Hey, thanks, dude." As she set the cup on the coffee table beside her, she fumbled around in her bag and, after a few moments, produced seven small packages of sugar. Greg watched with a frown as she proceeded to pour them in one-by-one.

"That can't be good for you, you know." He opened three packets of sugar and emptied them in.

"Actually, I usually only have two sugars in my coffee. But this is hospital coffee."

Greg was just about to inquire about Allie's thoughts on hospitals, when Nurse Brenda Banks glided over to them.

"Miss Moore and…" She glanced at the sheet of paper in her hand. "Mr. Moore, I presume?"

Greg looked at Allie, who had stood up after burning her mouth on the coffee.

"Actually, this is my friend, Gregory Sanders. He's a colleague." Allie waved her hand at Greg who was grinning at the nurse. She was a short woman, with red hair and a constant frown. "But I'm Allie Moore. Dylan's sister."

"Well," Nurse Banks glanced at the two of them before shaking her head. "_you_ can come in," she looked at Allie. "but he has to wait."

"What? Why?" Allie furrowed her brows, placing her hands on her hips. "Is that the only family rule? Cause Greg here," She motioned towards the lab-tech. "Is just like family."

"Nope. Sorry." Nurse Banks started to walk away.

"Wait!" Allie said, louder than she expected. Brenda sighed and turned back on her heel. For the second, and hopefully last, time this evening Allie started trudging through her bag, pulled out her purse and handed Brenda a $20 note. Brenda's expression never changed, but she accepted the note and waved Greg and Allie to Dylan's room.

_A/N: Hi! H__ope you enjoyed this chapter. Please R&R and no flames – Thankies!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, CBS or any of it's affiliates. JauntyChick XOX. _


	5. Chapter Four

Ch. 4

Room 112; it was average size with a hospital bed, nightstand, TV and several chairs. Only two of the chairs were occupied. Diane Driver was sitting beside the door reading a magazine, whilst Frank was huddled in the chair next to Dylan.

Allie flounced in quietly with a bag of Dylan's stuff and a nervous Greg in tow. She had taken her hair out of the scrunchie and it was settled neatly across her shoulder. Frank was the first to notice her.

"Allie!" He shot up, ran over to her and hugged her. Frank was slightly shorter than Dylan, with black hair and dark eyes. Occasionally, he wore a hat.

"Hey, Frank." Allie patted him on the back with her free hand. "How's it goin'?"

Frank sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Al. I shouldn't have let 'em go on the trampoline. It's my fault." His brows furrowed with sheer guilt.

"Frankie, you weren't to know there was a hateful son of a bitch behind that wall." Allie smiled, nudging him playfully on the shoulder. "Besides, if it was your fault, Dylan wouldn't be talking to you." She winked. Diane came walking over, noticing Greg hidden behind Allie.

"Hey, Allison. Who's this?" She nodded to Greg.

"Uh, this is Greg Sanders. He works with me. My car broke down on the way and he gave me a lift." She smirked, noting Greg staring at the ground. "Which I very much appreciate." He looked up, eyes twinkling.

"Hi." He held his hand out for Diane to shake.

"Hello Greg, I'm Diane Driver." Diane shook his hand. "This is my kid –" She pointed to Frank. "Frank James."

"Yo, Greg." Frank nodded. Greg waved, sat down in Diane's original chair and started flipping through her magazine.

"Anyhow," Allie raised her voice, setting the bag on to the nightstand. "I know you're awake Dylan." She sidled up beside him. "And I've got your MP3 Player."

"Hey, Sis." Dylan turned round almost instantly and smiled. Allie rolled her eyes.

"Oh, Dylan." She pulled up a chair, smirking. Diane placed her hand on Frank's back and motioned to the door.

"Allie, we're gonna leave now. You have a lift, yeah?"

"That'd be me." Greg said from behind them, his finger suspended in the air. Allie nodded.

"Indeed. Thanks for coming Diane. See you, Frank." The two Drivers said their goodbyes and fled. After a while, Allie, Greg and Dylan got to chatting and laughing and at around 10PM they finally left.

Back at Allie's house, she and Greg were sat out in the car. She was talking a lot more now that her fears about Dylan had been calmed. He was being kept in for a few more days just to be safe.

"Well," Allie yawned. "I guess I'd better go in."

"Yep."

"Thank you, Greg." Her lips turned upwards as she watched Greg's eyes widen.

"You called me Greg."

"Indeed I did." For a couple of minutes, Greg did nothing but look at Allie as she stared up into the sky. He looked away when she glanced back at him. Then, as she opened her door, sighing, Allie turned round and kissed Greg. A friendly kiss, on the cheek…but a kiss nonetheless. Greg opened his mouth to say something, but just bowed his head and swallowed.

"Night, Allie."

"Goodnight, Greg."

After Greg drove off, Allie closed the door behind her and leant against her door.

Why couldn't Greg just ask her out already?

_A/N: Okay, that sucked__ I know…but it will get better. I hope!!! Please R&R but NO FLAMES please. Thank you ___

_Disclaimer: I do not own CSI, CBS or any of it's affiliates._

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	6. Chapter Five

Ch. 5

Sometime during the next day, in the evidence room, Grissom and Sara were sat beside each other, trying their best to figure out the machinations of a serial arsonist. So far, after several hours of searching –with the exception of a partial shoe-print - they'd came up blank. Sara sighed, sitting forward in her chair.

"Grissom, I-I give up. This _guy_," she practically spat the word out. "thinks we're stupid." She shook her head. Grissom thought about this for a few moments.

"Do you agree with him?" He said, coolly. Sara blinked.

"Really? I don't know." He cocked an eyebrow. "Not the us being stupid part." She waved a hand at that particular statement. "But what if we can't crack this one, Grissom? What if it's just too much of…" Sara searched for a word. "Too much of a nothing."

Grissom took his glasses off and set them aside. "But too much of a something can also be nothing."

Sara frowned, not even bothering to reply to Grissom's sometimes confusing words of wisdom. She'd guessed that 'too much of a something can also be nothing' meant that even if they had found something more than a partial, it may have been useless. Or something along those lines.

"Okay, six people have died because of this guy and we can't do anything about it. Sometimes I hate this job." Sara often wished she could be like Grissom, what with his cold-fish demeanour, never getting too emotionally attached to the case at hand. She looked at the ground, letting an errant strand of hair fall in front of her eyes. Grissom sighed and sat forward.

"Sara?" He said, making Sara turn round and face him, strand of hair still lying loosely in front of her dark eyes. Now directly beside her, Grissom smiled and pushed the strand of hair out of her way. Sara closed her eyes for a moment.

"Grissom." She stated. Grissom raised his eyebrows. Suddenly, Sara didn't know what had hit her. One moment she was looking at Grissom, then next she was kissing him. He placed his hand on Sara's back, forgetting completely that they were still at work. Also, forgetting about the door behind them, which neither of them seemed to hear as Nick entered the room slowly, coming to tell Grissom that he was heading home for the day and that Warrick was covering for him. He tried to fight a smile as he pondered whether to cough or to just sneak back out. Ultimately, he chose the latter. Standing outside the door, he chuckled to himself and headed for the exit. Inside the room, Sara had separated from Grissom, whose eyebrows had rose even further. Seeing the expression on his face, Sara mentally scolded herself.

"I-I'm sorry, Grissom, I didn't mean…oh, God, I'm so stupid – I-" Sara stood up, completely embarrassed. She grabbed her bag from the chair beside her, starting toward the door. "Just, forget that ever happened, okay?" She nodded, slipping out the door. Grissom just sat there utterly bemused.

"What about macaroni?" Dylan asked his sister as she pulled his curtains open. Allie had informed Grissom that she would be in an hour later than usual due to the opening hours of the hospital. He had shrugged and said it was fine. Her car still wouldn't start so she had to get Nick and Warrick to help her push it to the mechanic. Fortunately, he was only a few blocks away. Greg had a few days off, so he told her that anywhere she needed to go, he would take her.

"Macaroni? Okay. Want a drink with that?" She asked, pulling her dark navy coat on.

"I got water, thanks." Dylan smiled at her. Allie nodded and started for the door. "Hey, Allie?"

"Yes, Dylan?"

"You should go to work. I've got nurses, you know."

"Oh, yeah, I know. But I told Grissom-"

"We do need the money. I'll be fine." He said, confidently. "Besides, Mom phoned. She said she'll visit at lunchtime."

"Is she bringing Carl?"

"Yep. He seems cool. He's got a Playstation." Allie rolled her eyes. Dylan was obsessed with games. If he knew someone had gotten the latest console, he had to befriend them as soon as was humanly possible.

"Alright then. I'll send one of the nurses with the macaroni." She began walking out of the door again, but turned back.

"What's up?"

"I- I just don't feel right. You've got a broken leg! I can't leave you!"

"Oh, you've done plenty for me. And," Dylan held his hands up. "I am quite grateful."

"I know. You'll be out in a couple of days, right?" Allie sauntered over to his bed and kissed him on the forehead. "Anyway, I'll send you something better than the macaroni." With Dylan extremely confused, Allie finally left the room.

As Nick Stokes walked down the darkly-lit corridor of the LVPD to go home, Warrick Brown stepped out of an interrogation room. Warrick ran a hand through his newly cut hair.

"Hey, Bro. How's it going in there?" Nick smiled.

Warrick tutted. "How's it going? I'll tell you how it's going." He shook his head. "It ain't!" Nick laughed.

"Nice. You're working with, uh, Grissom and Sara, huh?" He asked, nonchalantly. Warrick nodded, tugging his beige jacket off.

"Yep. Haven't seen them for a while, though. They were working on the evidence, last I heard." Warrick Shrugged. "Why?"

"Oh, uh, no reason. I'm just," Nick wondered what the best term to use could be. "Just following a lead, Warrick."

"Right." Both walked for a few seconds in silence, until Allie arrived, running into the lab. "Hey! Where's the fire, Moore?" Warrick asked, holding his hands up as if to stop Allie from going any further. Allie halted herself. Out of breath, she muttered a hello.

"Jeez, I, uh, I'm really, really late for work." She exclaimed, checking her watch. Even though she knew Grissom wouldn't care, Conrad Ecklie might have something to say about the matter. "Have either of you two seen Ecklie?" The two men exchanged puzzled glances. "Or Grissom?"

"Well," Nick cleared his throat. "Grissom was kinda busy last I saw but I think Ecklie's probably in his office."

"Great. Gotta run!"

"Whoa, Allie!" Nick grabbed her by the arm, gently. She frowned.

"Nick! What?" Allie's voice seems to have raised an octave, making Warrick wince slightly. Nick hadn't told anyone else –even Warrick- about setting Allie up on a date with Greg. Although, for the past several days, he had been concocting a plan. Considering his mother was coming into town in a few days, he had to act fast.

"I have a proposition for you."

Allie, now interested, stopped trying to get away for a few moments and listened to Nick.

"Okay, shoot."

Nick drew a sharp breath. "Alright, a date." Both Warrick and Allie's eyebrows rose. Both Warrick and Allie's eyebrows rose even further than before. Nick shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Not with me, goons!" He scoffed, realising that the last time he had heard the word 'goons', his grandfather was chasing a trespasser off his property. And Nick was eight at the time. "Anyway, tomorrow night. Friend of mine. He's young, handsome, smart." Nick took a swift glance at the ground. "If you're interested."

Allie half-smiled. "Thanks, Nick, but I don't think…oh, God, it's not Hodges is it?" Warrick grinned.

"Allie, I don't think any of us is Hodges' friend." For some reason, no one had the gall to ask Hodges any more than they needed to know. Not because they didn't care, but because they didn't want an angry, jumped-up lab rat jumping down their throats. Occasionally, he would reveal something about himself in his usual scathing manner which Allie despised. He and Ecklie seemed to get along just fine, though…

Allie laughed. "Listen, Nicky, I appreciate it – I really do – but honestly, with Dylan-"

"We'll look after Dylan!" Nick threw his hands up. Warrick placed his hands on his hip, eyebrows furrowed.

"Hold on a minute, Stokes-"

"Warrick, please?" Nick glared at his friend, then looked at Allie. "You say Dylan likes video games?" Allie nodded. "Well, I've got an Xbox! It's perfect, Allie!"

In a hurry to get to the lab, Allie pondered the pros and cons. If he was a friend of Nick's, could he really be that bad? Handsome and smart? Isn't Hodges? And Nick did seem desperate…why not?

"If it means I can get to work at a fashionably late but reasonably early then fine. I'll do it. Come get me on break."

"But I was just leaving."

"Break, or nothing." Allie said, grouchily.

"Fine, I'll see you in a few."

Nick walked off, explaining to Warrick on the way about his plan.

A/N: Okay, first ever bit of GSR written! Woot! Hope it wasn't too OOC. For some reason, I cannot see Grissom kissin' anybody. Maybe it's just me. Anywho, any thoughts, suggestions or flotsam for the date would be mucho appreciated. Please R&R and tell your friends to do the same ;)

PS: I'll give you a cookie! Also, I apologise for using the word 'goons'. I find it rather amusing in some context :P

Jaunty

XOX


	7. Chapter Six

"Ch. 6

Later on in the lab, Allie had her mobile phone, CD player and several cotton swabs out on her desk. Dylan had texted her a few times explaining to her how much she exaggerated the horrendous quality of hospital food. Allie noticed how much Dylan resembled a dog in his extra-unusual taste for food and that he was getting out tomorrow. Try as she might, she couldn't help but be excited about this news. Ecklie had informed her that his swabs were her main priority. On the CD player was The Killers' 'Hot Fuss'. Recently, it had become her favourite album, by far. She loved the melodic yet sparkly keyboard rhythms. So far, after only acquiring the album two weeks ago, her favourite track was 'Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll'.

Sighing, she processed yet another one of the many swabs Ecklie had forced her to check. The next thing, the alarm went off on her phone to indicate a break. She had hoped Nick would come to the lab, but since he was off for the day, there wasn't a chance of that happening.

"Sorry, Eck… I'll just have to do these later." Allie smiled, pulling off her latex gloves. She turned The Killers off and placed the player in a cupboard beneath her desk. Spotting Hodges out on the corridor, Allie walked over to him, pulled him into the lab and sat him on her chair. "Now, dear Hodges, I'm going on break. Technically, you should've been here several minutes ago so as I could explain what's going on here as is, you're screwed. See ya!"

Dumbfounded, Hodges called after her. "What exactly_ am _I doing?"

Allie walked backwards into lab, glancing at her nails. Allie filled him in on the case, swabs, when Ecklie needs everything done by, how many times to check if it's a match and what to match it to. A few snarky remarks from him and she was off.

She found Nick after a few minutes lounging about in the cafeteria. Before sauntering over to him, she ordered a hot chocolate and a cappuccino. Thinking how extortionate they were, she took a ten dollar bill out of her wallet and set it on the counter and told 'Glenda' to keep the change.

"Hey, Nicky. How are we now?"

"Hey, great. You got me coffee?" Nick smiled, taking one of the hot mugs off Allie. She nodded.

"Yep. And, uh, damn expensive it was, too." She laughed. Nick took a sip and praised it to high Heaven. Allie waited a while before tasting her own beverage. "So, uh, this guy…"

"Yeah, this guy." Nick smiled into his cappuccino as he took another sip. "Are you still on?"

"Well, I need to know a bit more about him." She grinned. "His name would be a start."

"Sorry, that's the thing about blind dates. I can tell you that you already know him." He glanced at the counter, eyeing up a Danish pastry. Allie widened her eyes.

"Oh, my God! Who? Nick! You have _got _to tell me who it is!" Allie half-shouted. Usually, she was as cool as a cucumber, but there was the occasional day where hysterics were just a routine for her. Nick raised his eyebrows.

"Hey, hey, _hey! _Easy. Not all of us are deaf here." He sighed, drinking his coffee. "I can't tell you. But trust me, you'll like him. And now you have Dylan sorted with me and Warrick-"

"Wait, about that…are you sure you can handle him? He'll be home tomorrow night and his leg… Doctors say it'll heal well, but it will be difficult for him and-"

"Allie, I understand." Nick said, appreciatively. "My sister, Maggie, broke her leg jumping off a wall. Took her one day to get outta hospital. Then again, she nagged the doc's ears off, but…"

"Alright." Allie finished the last of her not-so-hot chocolate. "I'll check with Dylan. But it's his first night. I mean, don't I have to be there? What if he falls?"

"Allie, do you honestly think we're that irresponsible?" Allie cocked her head to one side. "Okay, maybe a bad question. So…"

"Oh, when and where?"

Nick smiled mischievously giving her instructions to go to the White Rose Café after 7:30PM. Wear something formal.

Greg Sanders was sat in his large but empty house watching TV. He'd been flicking for a few hours before finally settling on 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'. Not his original choice, but it would do for the time being. Greg was always uneasy on his days off, wondering whether or not he'd be called in. Just as he was about to go and get his jacket, find his car keys and drive to his aunt's house for a visit to Papa Olaf, his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and opened it.

"Greg Sanders."

"_Hey, Greg. Guess what?"_

"What is it, Nick?"

"_You're meeting Allie tomorrow night at the White Rose Café at around 7:30-ish. Formalwear, mind. And fix your hair."_

Greg almost dropped his phone, slightly taken aback by Nick's phone call. After a few minutes of silence, Nick's voice chimed back up. "_Greg? You still there?" _

"Uh, yeah. 7:30 you say? Great. I'll be there. Thanks, Nicky!"

Before Nick had a chance to respond, Greg hung up on him.

_A/N: Okay, that's the end of this chapter. Originally, it was this chapter and the next one on the same chapter…if that makes any sense. Anyway, it was way too many words and far too long, so I chopped it in half. Hope you enjoyed it. Please R&R and I'll respond soon enough. I shall also give you a cookie for your troubles ;)_

_Have A Great Rest Of The Day,_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	8. Chapter Seven

Ch. 7

Allie handed Dylan a few comic books and some batteries for his MP3 Player. Grissom had told her to go home early and send Dylan his best wishes. She had thought about bringing Gus with her, for the car journey and all, but decided it best to leave him with Diane and Frank for the night. So far, she hadn't broached the subject of her blind date. Somehow she just couldn't get it out of her mind…

"Allie? Are you alright?" Dylan asked, slightly concerned. Allie snapped back to reality. All day, it seemed, she just couldn't focus.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks. I'm fine. How are you?"

"Uh, good, Al. Even if that's the third time you've asked me."

Allie wrinkled her nose. "Is it? I really hadn't noticed." Smiling, she pulled a chair up close to Dylan's bed. The top of his bedside drawer was covered in books and magazines. Most of the time, except for when he had visitors, his TV was left on for background noise. Last year he had bugged Allie constantly to buy him a portable DVD player. She thought on how useful that would've been now. Allie was about to speak again when there was a familiar tap at the door. She looked at Dylan, whose eyebrows rose. "Frank?"

"Nope. That's not his knock. Go answer it." Allie wondered how, even with her running around after him, he still slipped up on his 'please' and 'thank you-s'. She glared at him. "Oop, uh, please and thanks, man."

Allie got up, sighing. "You're welcome. And I am _not _a man." Fortunately for her, the door wasn't too far away. When she answered it, Nick was standing there, small digital contraption in hand. Allie grinned.

"Nick? What the heck are you doing here?" She laughed, motioning for him to enter the room. Nick waltzed in, took his beige jacket off - revealing a white shirt and dark navy jeans, and handed Allie the gadget.

"Oh, in the neighbourhood. Dropped by. Happened to have some DVDs and a portable player." Nick smiled pleasantly and sat in the chair previously owned by Allie. She rolled her eyes. "You must be Dylan. I'm Nick Stokes." Dylan shook Nick's hand, unable to stop looking at the DVD player. He was such a sucker for material goods.

"Hi, Mr. Stokes-"

"You call me Nick, kid." He nodded to Allie. "Hey, you can go now if you want."

"Uh, Nick…" Allie, bewildered, glanced around the room. "Can I talk to you for a sec, please?"

"Of course." Nick got up, headed to the door and then stopped, turning to look at Dylan "I'll be back in a minute to plug that in." He motioned to the DVD player. Dylan beamed.

Outside the room, Allie leant against the hospital wall, sighing.

"Okay, my guess is that you're trying to bribe the poor kid into liking you 'cause you brought him a portable thingy-"

"Portable DVD player." Nick corrected her. She glared at him.

"Alright, DVD thingy." She placed her hands on her hips and started to pace the floor. "I'm not sure about this date."

"Too late. I called the guy already."

"And?"

"He's happy about it, I guess. You?"

"Don't think I have a choice, I guess." Allie's tone held a slight hint of amusement mixed with annoyance as she mimicked Nick. He half-smiled.

"Allie, I wouldn't ask if I didn't think the guy was right for you."

Allie opened her mouth to protest, but Nick held a hand up in defeat. "I know, don't tell me. Joe. Very good. He was a mistake."

"And an ass."

"_Okay. _Bit harsh, but-"

"Harsh? Stokes, don't even start me about Joe." Nick laughed. "That wasn't even funny." Joe, a ranch-hand, was about thirty-nine. His hair was receding at an alarming rate, he drank excessively and he had absolutely no fashion sense. Allie wasn't too shallow, but another thing against him was his personality…or lack there of. During the date, he had seen a short, blonde girl at the bar and decided to chat her up. The next thing she knew, Allie was sitting alone at the table for an hour and a half before giving up on Joe.

"He wasn't _that _bad, surely."

"I had to call Catherine to pick me up." Allie rolled her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time that day. "Speaking of which, my car's still busted. I'm gonna walk home now, so." Nick shuffled his feet. "Look, be nice to Dylan. Be careful of his leg. D not tell him about the date, please."

"You haven't told him."

"No. I wasn't planning it."

"What are you two doing here?" Nick and Allie spun round to see Catherine standing there dressed in a black T-shirt and light blue jeans. Her hair was crimped and she had a gash on her forehead.

"Hey, Cath." Nick smiled, sidling up to her. For some reason, Allie had always intimidated him.

"Catherine! What-" Before she could finish her train of thought, Allie was cut off.

"I think I found the serial arsonist. Or, rather," She smirked. "He found me. Are you alright?"

"Me? Oh, yeah. Dylan's here though. He broke his leg. Didn't I tell you already?"

"No." Catherine furrowed her brow, shaking her head. "I've been outta the loop a while, you know." Allie raised an eyebrow. "Lindsay's been acting up. She hitchhiked!" Nick shook his head. "On Fremont Street of all places! I mean…" Trailing off, Catherine turned her back to Nick and Allie for a moment, checking on the reception desk. Spinning on her heel, this time she talked to Nick.

"Doesn't explain why you're here."

"Dylan."

"But you don't know him."

Just then, as Nick was about to explain everything to Catherine, his phone rang. It was his mom. He groaned.

"Hold on. Allie, you tell her."

"Tell me what?" Catherine's eyes widened. Allie smirked.

"Nick's setting me up."

"No!"

"Yes. Unfortunate, huh!"

Walking up the corridor, Allie and Catherine continued their uber-girlie chat that Nick, Warrick and Grissom seemed to despise so much.

Up the corridor, Nick was still talking to his mother, Jean Stokes. Formerly Jean Bradfield, she was short with dark hair and a friendly smile. Nice personality, great sense of humour, never thought bad about people unless she had real evidence to support the fact. Somehow, she had ended up with Nick's father, Robert James Stokes. Strict, shallow, yet nice, good-hearted and occasionally funny, everyone in Nick's hometown feared the man.

"Mom, uh, you're coming tomorrow?"

"Yes, Nick. Tomorrow morning. Ten AM, sharp." She paused. "I assume you've found someone to look after me on account of your work hours."

"Yes, Mom. His name's Greg Sanders. He works with me, but he got two days off."

"Are you sure he doesn't mind."

"No, of course not. In fact, he, uh, volunteered." Nick shook his head, scolding himself. He tried his very best never to lie to his mother and when he did it was only to sooth her sometimes neurotic feelings. "And he's really looking forward to it."

"Great. I'll see you tomorrow night then. This Gregory Sanders…does he like pizza?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Oh, just this cute little place I found the last time I was over in Vegas. I think I'll take him there."

"You do that, then. Bye."

"See you Nicky. Love you."

"Yeah, love you, too, Mom."

Nick muttered, noticing the large group of male doctors standing behind him. _Sanders always gets the easy job, _Nick thought as he went back into Dylan's room.

_A/N: Okay, bad chapter I know…hopefully this will improve with reviews! Please R&R and NO FLAMES please. By the way, any suggestions for the date, as always, will be greatly appreciated. Oh, GSR will need some thoughts also. Thank you, and have a great rest of the week…_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	9. Chapter Eight

Ch. 8

After several hours of video games, Nick reckoned he and Dylan had hit it off rather well. Nick had shared some stories of non-violent crime and Dylan had told Nick about school these days and some kid called Frank.

Allie had come back half way through and told Dylan that she was leaving and would be back tomorrow morning to visit him. He looked up from his game and smiled. Fortunately for him, Nick had lost nearly every game so far.

"So, Nick, I don't mean to be rude and all, but what's up with you and Allie."

Nick cocked his eyebrow. "What do you mean, Dylan?"

Dylan kept pressing the buttons on his joy-stick as he replied. "She seems kinda…off."

Nick paused the game as he told Dylan the story without hesitation. Dylan laughed.

"Who is it then?"

"Can't tell you. Secret."

"I won't tell Allie. Promise."

"Nope."

"Okay, I won't tell Allie who it is, but I'll tell her you won every game and I really suck at this one. Now who?"

"That's emotional blackmail. No." Nick un-paused the game. Dylan paused again. Nick threw his hands up in defeat. "Man, don't do that again. I'm on a roll here." Un-pause.

Dylan scoffed. "Yeah, a really, really bad roll." Pause.

"Dylan!" Un-pause.

"Ha. Got you, Stokes. I can do this for another hour or so." Pause. Nick dropped the controller onto Dylan's bed, crossing his arms.

"Greg Sanders. Lab rat. Happy?"

"Very." Un-pause.

Back at the crime-lab, Gil Grissom walked down the halls, glancing in every room looking for Sara Sidle. As he looked into the actual lab, he saw David Hodges filling the seat.

"Hodges, have you seen Sara anywhere?"

"Depends." The tall man replied, monotonously. Grissom rolled his eyes, taking his glasses off.

"On what, exactly?"

"Depends on which Sara we're talking about. Is she tall, short, blonde, red-"

"Sara Sidle, Hodges. And you know it."

Unlike Greg Sanders, Hodges was cocky and arrogant. Never edgy of nervous around Grissom, he usually tried to step on Grissom's toes whenever possible. "Oh, that Sara. Well, she left a few hours ago. I, uh, thought you two were working the same case."

"We were." Grissom turned on his heel and started to walk out. "We are."

Greg paced the living room of his house/apartment trying to figure out what was best to do. Nick had called and informed his that he was meeting the one and only Jean Stokes. He went into his kitchen and looked in a cupboard, before finally settling on sandy-blonde hair dye.

As he walked into his bathroom, his doorbell went. He grumbled, walking back to the front door. He got to the door and opened it. Standing there was Allie. Well, Allie and her dog.

"Hi." She said, half-smiling. Greg grinned, placing the hair-dye on a nearby cupboard.

"Hey." His voice was quieter than usual. "Uh, nice dog."

"Thanks. He's Gus." Allie took the leash off of Gus and motioned for him to walk forward. Allie peered into Greg's house before entering. Greg stood there, not entirely knowing what to say. Allie stopped in the hall, wrapping her arms close to herself. A few moments silence ensued. Greg looked at the floor.

"Are you okay, Al?"

Surprised, Allie jumped slightly at Greg's voice. "Huh? Oh, fine thanks, Greg. I was just wandering around with Gus. Then I remembered you lived round here. Are you busy?"

"Not at all. I was just going to fix my hair." He wondered if she knew about the date. Knowing Nick…Better not to bring it up, just in case.

Allie glanced up at the mass of multi-tonal spikes. She had began to wonder when he was going to change his hair again. He was wearing a grey shirt with black trousers. Gus came back into the room after searching around for several minutes. He plopped himself down beside Allie's feet. She sighed.

"You wanna sit down?"

"Sure."

Greg's sitting room was…surprisingly tidy. She had expected all sorts of clutter hanging about. His walls were beige, with blue at the very tops. Wooden floor, big TV, reasonable green-ish sofa. Granted, it didn't really match, but it was fine. Allie smiled as she sat down.

"So, uh, what kind of fixing was it?"

"I was about to dye it. All one colour."

"One colour?"

"Yep." He nodded confidently. Allie smirked.

"Want me to do it for you? I have nothing planned for the rest of the evening…" She grinned mischievously. How could he refuse?

"Go for it."

After placing the un-realistically small hat on Greg's head, Allie proceeded to pull the strands of hair through the perforations in the hat with the skewer. He winced as she poked him in the scalp a few times.

"So, how's Dylan doing?"

"Fine…Nick's with him."

"Nick?"

"Yeah," Allie laughed. "Nick. As in Stokes."

"Okay." Greg didn't really know why Nick was sucking up to Dylan, but why quibble?

"Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for this."

"What?"

"Letting me do your hair. I was kinda lonely this evening. Me and Dylan, we…we're never really apart." Allie nipped Greg's scalp again, but he never complained. "So, I just walked. With Gus. He was with Frank and Diane though. We got him a couple of years ago. It was him or a canary."

"Canaries are good, too." Greg furrowed his eyebrow, grinning. "I had a fish once. Fed him everyday. His name was Freddie."

"Freddie?"

"Yep. He was my best friend in school." Allie stopped piercing through the holes and started applying the hair dye. She had forgotten about dyeing it the one colour, but Greg hadn't seemed to notice. The idea of Greg with light blonde hair seemed very un-appealing to her. Imagine what Grissom would've thought.

"My best friend was my English teacher. Sad, but true."

Greg laughed. "English was never my best point. Good at maths-"

"I sucked so much at maths! Science was good, though…"

"Yeah. Papa Olaf always said-"

"Whoa! Before this sentence goes any further, I would like it in English thank you. Your Papa Olaf is very philosophical…just not in Norwegian."

"Well, he does speak in English, too, you know." Greg paused, pondering what would happen if Allie and Papa Olaf were ever to meet. Suddenly, a small scene was playing through his head. A seventy year old man with the like-mindedness of himself meeting a twenty-seven year old girl a lot like his grandmother. He snickered, shaking his head in amusement.

"Yo, Greg!" Allie stopped messing with his hair and snapped her fingers. Greg turned round, staring into Allie's eyes. She pushed the sleeves of her shirt up onto her fore-arms, meaning business. "Are you gonna continue with what Papa Olaf was saying? Seriously, that's not fair. I always tell you. Greg?"

"Sorry, I, uh, forgot what I was sayin'." He bobbed his head to the side, picking up a random magazine from under his coffee table. Allie returned to the hair. She noticed a scar on the back of his neck. She traced her fingernails along it, completely distracting Greg away from the article with David Hasselfhoff on why he would love to work with William Shatner. Random, but interesting.

"What happened here?" She asked, quietly.

"Uh, that's, uh, nothing really. Just from when the lab blew up."

Allie widened her deep-brown eyes.

"The lab blew up? When the hell did this happen?"

"Before you came." Greg quickly regained his composure, turning round to face Allie. "I mixed some solvents."

"And?"

"And…that was it. I have a tiny scar thanks to it. Kinda roguish, don't you think?" Greg winked, making Allie roll her eyes.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? I could've died!"

"What? How?"

"I mix solvents _all_ the damn time! Jeez, Greg!" Allie held a hand over her heart. Greg tilted his head to the side. He placed his own hand on top of her free hand.

"That won't happen."

Allie laughed, slightly hysterical now that her nerves were up.

"Ha! Sanders! How do _you_ know? I mean…" Allie, not even bothering to move Greg away from her, waved the heart-hand beside her face in a 'devil-may-care' manner. Greg softened his voice to just above a whisper.

"Because I wouldn't let it." Suddenly, Allie stopped panicking and started to calm down. Greg smiled, his lower lip quite resembling the top half of a triangle. Allie grinned, taking a swift look at her hands. Greg was still attached to one of them. She cleared her throat.

"Turn round, Sanders."

Carefully letting go of her hand, he did as he was told.

_A/N:_ _Wow! That was so corny/cheesy! But, in fairness to me, it needed to be done. The date should be next…but being a minor myself, I haven't a clue about dates and whatnot. Any suggestions would be great :)_

_Hope you liked it, please R&R, but no flames please. Tell your friends!_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	10. Chapter Nine

Ch. 9

"_Because I wouldn't let it."_

Five words. How could five words have such an affect on one person? Allie Moore couldn't believe it. It's as if her whole perception of Greg Sanders had changed completely, utterly, in ten seconds. Maybe less. She shook her head, mug of hot chocolate pressed up against her face as she stared vacantly out of the window. Several of her neighbours had passed by, possibly even waved to her, although she didn't notice. Her phone may have rang. She didn't really notice that either. Until her doorbell went, her thoughts were on a different train altogether. Getting up to answer it, she remembered about this evening and the blind date. She sighed, wondering what would the random guy think if she just didn't show up.

"Hello Allison."

"Grissom?!"

Gilbert Grissom was stood at her front door holding a brown paper bag in his hand. He peered inside her house, probably thinking she wouldn't notice. "May I come in?"

Allie checked behind herself. "Of course…uh…"

"Shocked?" Grissom's eyebrows shot up in amusement.

"Kinda, yeah." Allie laughed, pulling her tiny blue pyjama tank-top down at the bottom. Grissom entered the house, not looking at the rest of the room. "Everything alright?"

Grissom waited a few minutes before answering, making Allie even more edgy than she already was. "I'm not sure." Was his final reply. Allie turned her back to him for a second, purely to roll her eyes. Grissom always made her wait and then… _nothing! _The stupidest, tiny, little answers. Sometimes it really irked her.

"Can I help in any way?"

"Only if you know where Sara is."

"Uh, Sara? Sure, she's working the case…with…you?" Allie couldn't have been sure if this was the correct answer in Grissom's opinion. He shook his head slowly.

"She isn't. I can't find her."

"At her house?" Another head shake. "The lab, maybe…uh, the…" Allie held her hands up in defeat. "Grissom, why are you here? I mean with me? Sara doesn't particularly…talk to me. Much." Allie spoke slowly, making sure she didn't accidentally offend him.

"She does like you." Grissom sat down, sighing and rubbing his face concernedly.

Allie sat beside him, growing more and more worried by the second.

She waited for a while before talking.

"Is everything alright between you two?" She pried. Grissom looked up. "I-I didn't mean-"

"Can you keep a secret?" His voice had turned deeper, more serious than before. Allie arched a suspicious eyebrow.

"Depends…on the secret, really." She swallowed. "Can you?"

Grissom, slightly appalled, looked up. "Yes. Of course I can."

"All right. What's your secret?"

"What's yours?"

Allie cocked her head to the side. "Um, okay…my secret is…I was an extra for Party Of Five once." She smirked. Telling everyone this fact used to be her pride and joy until suddenly the show stopped being cool. She'd worked really hard to be an extra. Well, if showing up and standing in the background counted as hard work these days, then she was a slave. Besides, how many lab rats could brag about that? "Guess it's not that much of a secret, huh?" Grissom smiled wryly. "Your turn."

"I…" he started. His face was deadly serious for a second, then it brightened considerably. "I don't have one." He rose from his seat, walking to the door. "It was nice seeing you."

"Grissom-"

"I'll see you at work tomorrow."

"But-"

"Goodbye, Allison."

He walked out of the door, closing it quietly behind himself. Allie watched him walk down the drive, into his car and leave. _What the hell was that?_ she thought to herself as she walked upstairs to her bedroom.

Greg Sanders stood in front of his bathroom mirror frowning dubiously. He wondered what sort of a woman Jean Stokes was. He ran a hand through his newly cut-and-dyed hair. Allie had made a better job of it than some of the hairdressers he'd been to lately. He smiled lightly, walking over to his wardrobe. He picked out a plain blue tee, black jacket and dark jeans. Converse Vans were always best for the darker outfit.

He glanced at his watch before pulling his shirt on. 9:13AM. Roughly forty-five minutes before he went to the bus stop. Then, just roughly eight hours before the date…

Greg sighed and shook his head before trying on another shirt.

Jean Stokes stood at the bus stop, holding her luggage close to her. She checked her watch again. Her bus driver, Martin, had turned out to be a semi-sane lunatic who drove at least 20MPH above the legal limit, thus getting here a lot faster. And he had been early. By a good fifteen minutes or so. She had contemplated walking to this crime lab…but maybe that'd be cramping Nick's style. She placed her tallest bag down and sat on it. She could feel something beneath her vibrating. Confused, she picked up her bag, unzipped it and took out her cell phone. She hadn't remembered clicking it to silent, but it couldn't have just changed itself, could it? She didn't know. Gadgetry wasn't her niche. The number on the caller ID was unfamiliar. She answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi…uh, is this Mrs. Stokes?"

"Yes, who is this?"

"Greg. Uh, Greg Sanders."

"Oh! Gregory, how are you?"

"I'm…fine thanks. Are you okay? You sound kinda…shaky?"

"Well, the bus journey from hell didn't help, but I'm alright."

"Good."

There was a few moments of awkward silence before Greg spoke.

"I assume you're off the bus now. I didn't really get Nick's instructions…am I picking you up?"

"Yes, dear. I thought Nick had told…oh nevermind. When can you come?"

"Uh, I'm on my way now, Mrs. Stokes-"

"Call me Jean."

"Okay, wait there Jean."

Jean laughed, clicking the phone off. This guy seemed a lot more normal than Joe. Just thinking of Joe made Jean shudder slightly. What Nick saw in him, she'll never understand.

Allie stared at the writing on the white pen in her hand as the phone began to ring. After two rings, someone picked up. She was Texan, but she sounded tiny.

"White Rose Café, Antoinette speaking. How may I direct your call?"

"Hi. I'm calling on behalf of a Mr. Nick Stokes. He made a reservation for two people this evening and I was wondering if it's available for this evening?"

"Nick Stokes? Oh, how is he?"

"Fine. He told me, in fact, to say hello to you."

"Really? He said that? Aw, how sweet."

Allie rolled her eyes as she heard the girl on the other end clear her throat.

"Yeah, that's Nick. Sweet. I, uh, don't suppose you have that information for me yet…but could you also tell me the name of the two people he booked it for?"

"Well, he told me not to tell anyone, but okay! That's Allie Moore and Greg Sanders. 7:30. Table eleven. Beside the window. Champagne. Two red roses. Very stylish. _So _romantic. Laugh What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't, but thanks. Bye!"

"Oh, uh, bye-bye now. Have a great rest of the day!"

Allie hung up, grinning like an idiot. Greg Sanders?! What a strange idea…Allie and Greg. Somehow, though, it seemed strangely attractive to her.

Suddenly, Allie couldn't wait for 7:30.

Jean Stokes was about to take the secret packet of cigarettes out of her purse and light up, until a large dark vehicle pulled up beside her. She quickly stuffed the packet up into her pocket. The man sitting in the driver seat with odd hair rolled the windows down.

"Jean?"

"Greg?"

He nodded, turning the ignition off. As he strode out of the car, he wondered what she made of him. He went for a khaki green tee, regular trainers and dark jeans, not bothering with a jacket. Her outfit mainly consisted of a dark-red dress, cutting off at the knees. Her shoes were red, too. Her dark hair was pulled into a bun. Greg couldn't remember if he was taking her to somewhere fancy or not. Jean walked up and shook his hand. He couldn't help but notice how he towered above her.

"Hi there! It's so good to finally see a person. I've been out here for ages!"

"Actually, it's only been nine minutes since you called me."

"Was it?"

"Yep."

Jean frowned, handing Greg her bags. "Well, that seems reasonable."

After transporting her many bags of different bright colours, Greg sat himself back in the driver's seat. "So, where do you wanna go?"

"Well, I would really like to go somewhere to sleep."

"Sleep?"

"Yeah, my bus guy went to fast for me to take a nap. And the desert's so damn bumpy! Honestly, I want Nick to think you've treated me well…he talks very highly of you, you know."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes! So, if you find me somewhere to sleep, then I'll tell him you were the absolute best help I've ever had."

"Well, that's not strictly fair, but-"

"Why not? You got me out of here, didn't ya?"

"Okay. Gold Coast Hotel?"

"Step on it."

A/N: Jeez, I hate writing filler chapters. Sorry to anyone who had suggestions for the date…this no internet business is a disgrace! But still, there will be more than one date, so go ahead and suggest!

Hope you liked it…please R&R but no flames. It will get better, I promise!

Have a great day!

JauntyChick

XOX


	11. Chapter Ten

Ch. 10

Allie was about to pick up her car keys when her doorbell started. Groaning, she went to answer it. Standing on the porch was a 5"11', slim, blonde woman. Bonnie Moore. Or rather, Bonnie Wood/Moore/ and now Mullins. Allie had phoned her around ten minutes after she had heard about Dylan and his leg. Allie knew she would arrive sooner rather than later.

"Mom!"

"Allie!"

The two women ran towards each other and hugged, almost strangling each other. It had taken Bonnie several months to decide whether or not to move to Miami with Carl, but after Allie had volunteered to take care of Dylan, Bonnie gave in and moved. Carl, at the time, had been working on a two-year trial job, and had said as soon as he finished, they would move back to Vegas. Now he only had ten months left. Bonnie let go of her daughter and grinned.

"It's great to see you Allie. You look fabulous!"

"Oh…you're a great liar, Mom."

"Nonsense! Are you just leaving?"

Allie glanced back into her house, scrunching her nose. "Well, I was actually on my was to see Dylan. You got a car?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Of course not…Taxi."

"Oh, of course." Allie said, facetiously. Bonnie smiled and motioned to Allie's empty drive-way. "Ah…Mom. I'm afraid you're gonna have to walk."

Bonnie looked at her feet. Five inch heels as opposed to Allie's red Converse trainers. Bonnie sighed, turning her frown into a mischievous grin. "In these shoes? I don't think so."

Allie smirked, clearing her throat. "You, uh, got any spares?"

Bonnie stepped off the door-step and walked behind a bush, pulling out a bag only marginally larger than her hand-bag. From inside the bag, Bonnie produced a small, flat pair of red sandals. "Will these do?"

Allie laughed.

"Mom, why exactly were your shoes behind my bush?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you…Carl has my money. Therefore, no money, no hotel."

Allie frowned, taking the two other bags of her mother's from behind the bush and placing them inside her house. She then ushered her mother out of the front door and onto he street. "Okay, this is a few blocks so…where is Carl?"

As Greg parked his car at the bottom of his house, he realised he had gotten off lightly in Nick's little plan. Granted, he had chatted easily with Jean Stokes. Maybe even shared some delightful anecdotes. He had learned that Nick had several sisters, no other brothers; If he wasn't a CSI, he would've worked as a marine biologist and his favourite jam was raspberry. These were the things that only mothers knew, or possibly an obsessive stalker. Greg grinned as he placed the key in the lock. He had dropped Jean off at a local hotel and told her to call him when she wanted another lift. Thankfully, Nick was getting off work in a few hours so Jean was _his _responsibility then.

There were two messages left on Greg's answering machine; one from Grissom asking if Greg had seen Sara lately, the answer being no, and one from his own mother, reminding him about taking Papa Olaf out sometime in the coming weeks as Aunt Greta had to work. Greg called them both back and said no to Grissom and yes, of course he would to his mom.

He checked his watch again: 5:17PM. He sat on his sofa and began to skim the music channels. Not long to go now.

"So, Dylan…how's everything? School? Friends? Leg?" Bonnie chose to stand beside her son, placing a hand on his forehead. Dylan beamed.

"Great, excellent and…well, I think that one's kinda obvious." He pointed towards his bandaged limb. "I just wish I was getting out today instead of tomorrow."

The doctors had thought it best to leave him in for another day's observation, just to be safe. Nick had heard, but he and Warrick were still going to visit him.

"Oh…you are a dear."

"I know, Ma, I know."

Allie rolled her eyes as she sat in the chair beside her mother. Dylan smirked. "Mom, Allie has a date tonight."

Allie's jaw nearly hit the floor with shock. _How did he know about that? Of course, she'd planned to tell him, but…Nick! That must be it. _

Bonnie smiled and turned to face her daughter. "Really? Who?"

Dylan was about to open his mouth again, but Allie got there first. Now, if only she could find a good excuse to get out of here before her mother launched into 20Questions.

"It's a set-up thing. No big deal."

Dylan still held the wise, Yoda-like look he had adopted several minutes ago. "Do you know who it is?"

Dylan grinned wider than before. "Maybe."

"You do!" Bonnie clapped her hands together. Allie frowned.

"Possibly, perhaps, yes I do. Like Allie said, no big deal."

"Well, that's great kiddo, but I have to split now. Getting ready for the big date!" Allie got up, hugged her brother and walked up to Bonnie, handing her a small bundle of money. "Mom, there are loads of taxis around the hospital…here's forty bucks, so go and get something nice for dinner. Maybe you could bring him," She motioned to Dylan. "a McDonalds or something. McChicken's his favourite. Anyway, have fun…Oh, and Dylan?"

"Yeah?"

"Nick and Warrick are coming at seven. Be nice!"

Turning on her heel, Allie left Bonnie completely confused as to who Nick and Warrick were. She looked at Dylan who was, for some reason, couldn't seem to stop smiling.

Bonnie sat down, sighing. "I guess you'll have to start from the beginning, Dylan."

_A/N: Hey there! Only one more chapter before the date…sorry about the spinning it out for such a long time. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Not really much happened. I suppose it can't be constant drama, huh? _

_Anywho, please R&R if you wanna make me happy ;)_

_Happy Geese,_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Ch. 11**

At 7:21PM, Allie entered the front door of the White Rose Café. It wasn't what you would generally call a café. It was, in fact, more like a mini-mansion, or a really large hotel. She decided it would be best to show up well before Greg and just surprise him. She wondered if maybe he knew that he was coming to meet her…maybe he had the same idea as her. Probably not, knowing Greg. Unless…Nick might have told him and not her. But why? Allie, considering these possibilities, walked through the entrance, trying to avert her eyes from the large, white desk that almost, but not quite, surrounded the whole room. The ceiling was very high, with an enormous crystal chandelier in the centre. Allie grinned and walked up to the short, blonde woman manning the reception area. She noted the name on the woman's nametag; Antoinette. She cleared her throat and the blonde looked up. Allie guessed that she was at least thirty years old, even though she sounded like a girl of sixteen.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely. Allie placed her red purse on the desk.

"Yeah, Antoinette?"

Antoinette nodded, trying to place where she had seen Allie before.

"Hey. I'm Allie Moore."

"Oh, my God! Table eleven! Well, hello there!" Antoinette stepped out from behind the desk, excitedly. "You look lovely. Nicky told me you were pretty. Anyway," She stepped back onto her white platform. "Your date, whose name I can't disclose-"

"I'm sorry, I lied. On the phone, I mean. That was me. Not whoever you thought."

Antoinette looked as though someone had dropped a massive anvil on her head. Seeing this, Allie quickly held her hands up.

"Oh! Wait! I'm glad you told me, cause I was really thinking of not coming, but. Sorry."

Antoinette held her hands over her face for a moment, before smiling.

"Thank God for that!" She laughed. Allie wondered if her mental age was sixteen, also. "As I was sayin', your, uh, Greg Sanders hasn't arrived yet, but you have the best table in the place."

"Thanks. Uh, when he does arrive, don't tell him I'm here please."

"Oh, alright! Have fun, now."

"Don't worry, I will."

At 7:42PM, Greg Sanders had arrived at the White Rose Café, clad in a white shirt, dark red tie, black waist-coat and black suit. He had decided it best not to wear a tuxedo in case Allie showed up wearing a casual outfit. He met Antoinette at the desk, she had smiled at him and told him to go to table eleven. He thanked her and stepped into the dining area, which was only half full. Then again, it was early in the evening. It was pretty much like the entrance, except there were two red accent walls. There was a stage also, that held a baby grand piano with a candelabra on top of it. Scanning the room, he noticed a dark haired woman with her back to him sitting at table eleven. He frowned and walked over to her.

"Uh, sorry, Ma'am-"

"Ma'am? Who are you calling ma'am?" The woman spun round and stood up. She was wearing a V-neck sleeveless red dress that ended at the top of her knees, a large, plain black belt hugging her waist. Her hair had been curled and tied into a bun at the back, and she was wearing a long thing piece of steel attached to a silver chain as a necklace. She was stunning. She was Allie. Greg furrowed his brows and glanced around the room, pretending to look surprised.

"Allie? What're you-"

"I'm on a date. With you, it seems. Courtesy of Nick Stokes." Allie smiled. "Sit down, there's a gorgeous view from this window." Indeed there was, a sparkling array of lights emanating from the

casinos and hotels of Las Vegas. Greg swallowed before finally sitting down. He wasn't really interested in the view from the window or anywhere else around him. Just Allie.

"You, uh, you look amazing." He smiled, resting his arms on the table. "Really."

Allie blushed slightly, looking down at her hands which were neatly folded in her lap. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself. Hair's nice." She looked back up at him.

"Yeah…" He laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Have you ordered yet? I'm starving!"

"No," she laughed. "Not yet. I was waiting on you."

Greg blinked.

"I thought this was a blind date."

Allie leant in across the table, forcing Greg to do the same. Her eyes twinkled slightly as she spoke. "I kinda cheated…"

"Oh, really? How's that?"

"Well, I called Antoinette and she told me the table was for Allie Moore and Greg Sanders." Allie sat back, examining her nails. "After a bit of expert detective work on my part, of course."

"Yeah. Columbo's got nothing on you." Allie nodded, picking up her menu and handing it to Greg.

"Here you go, Greg. I think I'll have the penne pasta doused in a cheesy sauce with, uh, French fries. Very fancy."

"Sounds like a plan to me." Greg searched the menu. "Definitely the steak. Well done."

They chatted freely for another few minutes until the waitress came over and took their orders. Allie took a bread-stick out of the container that had been occupying only a tiny segment of the table.

"So, Greg. Can I ask you a question?"

"You already did, but shoot."

"Um, I think, if it's okay with you, that we should get out of here ASAP…I-I mean _after _the whole food part." Allie's voice grew softer as she spoke, looking out at the reception desk where Antoinette was watching them like a hawk. Allie wasn't sure what Nick had told her, but it must've been some juicy info. Frankly, Allie wasn't altogether too keen to be watched whilst being forced into an awkward situation with her best friend. Not that she wasn't happy to be out with Greg…quite the opposite actually-

"Yeah, course." Greg cocked his head to the side, smirking. "Mind if I ask why?"

Allie ran a finger over her eyelid, subtly pointing to Antoinette. "She's a stalker, I'm sure of it."

Greg laughed before asking the passer-by-waiter for another glass of water. Since he was driving this evening, he didn't want to risk anything. "Alright then. Movie?"

"Sure. Spiderman 3?"

"Definitely."

"It's a date."

A/N: Oh-kay! First part of the date…uneventful? Completely. But I do have something planned for the next half. Oh, and the timeline's way off but I do actually know where this is going. I think.

Perhaps ;)

Anywho, stay tuned for the next instalment of 'Blossoms in the Dust'!

R&R and I'll give you a cookie,

Jaunty

XOX


	13. Chapter Twelve

Ch. 12

While waiting on their dessert, Allie and Greg couldn't not notice the amount of random people that had come into the restaurant after them. It was almost as if the hotel/café/McMansion had been waiting on them. At least twelve more people had entered in the past half an hour, Greg noted. Most of which had been interrogated to within an inch of their lives by Suzanne, Antoinette's protégé. Sitting right next to the window also meant sitting in front of the second main door. Because of White Rose Café's critical acclaim, the owners decided to stick another door in there. Why? Fun, obviously. The most recent person to enter was a leggy blonde wearing an aqua-green dress which cut off at just below her knee-cap. She then glided over to table seven, where a tall yet _extremely_ well built man with balding hair was seated, nursing a tumbler of sherry. Greg noticed Allie becoming slightly distracted, edgy almost.

"So, why did you choose Vegas?" He asked, following her dark eyes to the reception desk. Allie jumped slightly at Greg's voice.

"Huh? Uh, Sorry Sanders. Mind's kinda elsewhere…it's just that guy looks a little-" she cut herself off, looking at Greg. His face held a concerned expression. Allie shook her head. "Rambling again, aren't I?" He nodded. "Uh, Vegas?"

"Yeah," Greg grinned, checking the entrance again. "Instead of Miami. I mean, you're Mom lives there and all, so…"

"Oh, okay! I get it now. Uh, that old story. Okay," Allie began, sitting forward in her chair. "I'm actually only here as a temp. See, Ecklie was talking with his 'chums' in Miami when Hodges was in the middle of being transferred. I had just gotten the job over here and-"

"But wait, I thought you always lived here." Greg furrowed his brows for a moment, releasing them back to a normal shape when Allie replied.

"Oh, yeah. I mean, we moved around a bit but never out of Nevada." Greg nodded, slightly alarmed by the amount of words Allie could fit into ten seconds. "Anyway, Ecklie said to the guy he was talking to that Miami could have me for a while. Training, you know. It's a lot cooler here though. Figuratively speaking. Horatio Caine, about the only person that talked to me in Miami- have you heard of him?"

"Yeah, through Grissom-"

"Oh, okay. Back to the story: Mr. Caine was so pleased with Ecklie's volunteer that he made a deal with him; He'll give Ecklie a member of the Miami team for a while, if he could borrow me from time-to-time."

Greg opened his mouth to talk, then shut it quickly. This was something Allie had never told him before. He actually didn't know that she had worked in Miami before coming here. And all this time he'd thought that he taught her everything cool about science. "That was about a year ago, though, so I reckon he was lying."

They sat in silence for about a second before the waiter came along with two bowls of strawberries, cream and chocolate sauce.

"Thanks." Allie smiled, standing up and taking a bowl from him and handing it to Greg before repeating the action. Unfortunately, Greg had stood at the same time, bumping his head into Allie's elbow. She apologised and laughed, telling Greg to sit back down. She looked back into the reception, where the creepy man she had seen before was standing, looking rather irritated, talking to a maitre-d. He threw his hands up and walked into the dining area. He stood at the door, letting Allie get a better view of him. He had a mass of short dark, spiky hair that framed his face. His large blue eyes had a deranged look to them, making him appear sinister. His nose was crooked in the middle and his mouth was contorted into a thin line that almost, _nearly_, resembled a smile. He was short, wearing a blue shirt and beige trousers with a crease down the middle. By his side was a mahogany walking stick with an owl for a handle. Allie swallowed and placed her bowl onto the table. Greg looked at the man before checking Allie. She knew she'd seen the walking-stick man before…but where? As she was thinking about it, she barely had time to see him stagger over to table eleven. She definitely didn't have time to notice him grab her by the wrists, pull her close to him and press a knife to her throat. Greg stood up, immediately alarmed. Then, the man spoke.

"Sit down!" His voice was calm, even though he was shouting. Greg opened his mouth, looking directly into Allie's eyes. She hadn't tried to struggle, Greg noticed. Maybe she had a plan. "I want you all to put your wallets on this table! Any belongings-" Just then, a tall man and a shorter lady walked came in from the kitchen. The walking-stick man pulled a gun from his back pocket and pointed it at them, forcing them to put their hands up. Almost everyone, barring the kitchen people, complied and put the money on the table. Allie glanced over his shoulder into the reception area, where everyone at the desk seemed to have scampered out the front door. She breathed heavily, trying to break away. The man made a grunting noise.

"I don't think so, Allison." Something about the way he said her name jogged her memory. Then it her right across the face, like a piece of glass from an explosion.

"_Michael!"_ She spat. Michael Loggins was one of her mother's previous boyfriends before Carl. She didn't like him before but now…now she despised him. She remembered hearing something a few years back about Michael turning insane and robbing a few banks in Europe but somehow it had slipped her mind. And to think, she was worried about what Carl was like. She shook her head again, straining to not get cut by the knife hat was still jammed against her neck. Greg looked around him, his mind desperately trying to form a plan. After what seemed like an eternity, it came to him. He swallowed, taking the wallet out of his back pocket and plopping it onto the table. Whilst taking it out, he managed to get inside a compartment and loosen a couple of bills which had conveniently fallen to the ground. Michael watched suspiciously as Greg knelt down and picked it up. What Michael didn't see was Greg getting under the table and grabbing onto Michael's walking stick that he had left beside Greg. He pulled it out and stood up, winking at Allie. Michael's head was turned as Greg hit him over the head with it. Unfortunately, Michael was so intent on the short lady from the kitchen that had the audacity to stand up to him that he shot her in the leg before stumbling to the ground himself. Allie drew a sharp breath as the knife nicked her collarbone. The sound of extreme relief resounded through the room. The short woman grabbed her leg before bursting into fits of hysterical laughter. Greg rushed over to Allie, grabbing hold of her.

"You okay?" He asked, frowning. Allie bobbed her head from side to side.

"Ah…I-I think…" She whispered, breathlessly. Greg nodded, giving Allie a quick hug and making sure she was alright. Just then, Antoinette burst through the entrance with three officers and one Captain Jim Brass. Brass made his way through the masses of people and sidled up to Allie and Greg.

"Are you two alright?" He asked, hands on hips. They nodded in unison.

"Yeah, I just got a gash…ooh, that's, uh, that's really-"

"Nasty?" Brass offered. Under her neck, across her chest actually, there was a large amount of blood seeping from a medium-sized wound. Greg snuck his arm around Allie's waist and pointing to Michael, who was being hoisted up and carted away with two other police officers, with the other hand.

"Brass, this is the offending article. Al, what did you say his name was?" Greg asked, speaking slowly. Allie sighed. Brass took a small notebook out of his jacket pocket.

"Michael Loggins. He used to work at Pip's Pizza's and then, uh," Allie's voice quavered as she held a hand up to her face. "Then he won a reasonable amount of money from the lottery. He quit his job, bought a boat-"

"Do you know how much money it was?" Brass stopped writing for a second.

"Um, I-I think…ten grand. He said it was a comfortable amount. But something happened, Brass." Allie looked around the room. The cops had started ushering people out, informing them that their money would be returned safely and as soon as possible. Brass motioned for Allie to sit down. She smiled, let go of Greg and folded one knee under the other.

"You wanna tell me his full story?"

A/N: Drama, drama, drama! LOL. There will be more in a tick…I apologise for the length of this chapter, but I couldn't find a proper place to start editing. TBC…

(Please R&R thank you)

Jaunty

(XOX)


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Ch. 13

Allie waited until Michael had been escorted away and the room was nearly empty. She had asked Brass if he could wait for a while till she tried to remember what exactly happened. She wondered if robberies always turned your mind to mush. The owners had given everyone a free meal and apologised profusely. The lady dressed in the aqua-green dress, her name was actually Jennifer, had come over to Allie. She asked her if she was okay, then told her if she ever wanted to talk she could phone her. Allie thanked her and sat down at the now empty bar. As she guided her finger around the rim of the glass, she suddenly remembered an incident a few years back that might indicate why Michael had chosen _her _neck instead of anyone else's in the restaurant. Greg had went off to help Brass interview people. Allie reckoned that he might, someday, try out for a position in CSI. Something higher than lowly lab rat. Allie half-smiled, pressing a finger to her eyelid. Brass walked up to the bar, Greg in tow, and sat on a stool.

"You ready to talk yet?" He smiled at her. Seeing Brass smile was a rare occurrence. Then again, seeing Grissom smile was even rarer. She nodded.

"Yeah." She cleared her throat and started playing with the hem of her red dress. She noticed the red on her wound matched her dress. Thankfully it had eased off on the bleeding. Maybe she should've put something on that wound earlier… "Okay, after he won the lottery- did I mention this part to you?" Brass nodded. "Oh, okay." She looked at Greg, who held his head in his hand, smiling pitifully at her. "My mom, uh Bonnie Moore, Mullins I mean, she started going out with Michael a few nights a week. He was nice enough at first. Always bought me and Dylan things." _Oh, my God! _Allie thought to herself. _Dylan! I should have called him… _"I have to use my phone a sec-"

"Allie, just tell us the story first. Then you can go." Brass stared her in the eye. She checked Greg again, who was looking at her with a real look of concern. "Please?" Brass tilted his head, making him appear like a sad puppy.

"They nearly got engaged. But I said I didn't want them to. So one day, when Mom was out, Michael came to the door." Allie started talking as fast as she could before Greg calmed her down and told her to talk a little slower. For the sake of the crime lab, of course. She complied and went back to her story. "He started pushing Dylan around so I told him to stop. He- uh, Dylan was only a kid at the time. He started crying so Michael yelled at him to shut up." Allie blinked rapidly, trying to hold away tears. How had she forgotten this? Did Dylan still remember it? "I slapped him and then Mom came home. Michael started bitching at her then." Brass wondered if he should write 'bitching' into his book. "She dumped him and gave me a hug and told us it was okay. We didn't see him for a week or two and then-" Allie blinked, looking at her nails. Greg reached out and took her hand. She surprised herself at how easy she found it not to cry. She smiled. "then he burnt down our doghouse. Thankfully the dog was indoors at the time, but still… Michael then went into business. He started gambling, we heard, and then he went bankrupt. I read a few years ago that he got slightly loopy-" Allie twirled her finger around an invisible strand of hair beside her head, signalling that he was crazy. "and he was taken into a rehab thing. And this is the first I've seen him since."

Brass finished taking notes and grinned, closing his book. "Thanks, Allie. You've been a great help. I'm sorry for gate-crashing your, uh, date." He looked at both Greg and Allie when he said this, then turned on his heel and walked off. Allie sighed and twisted in her chair. She was still holding onto Greg's hand.

"Hey." Greg whispered.

"Hey yourself." Allie laughed wryly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"This." She motioned around the room. Greg smiled, letting go of her hand and jumping off the bar-stool.

"Well, at least we got free food." Allie glared at him. He threw his hands up. "Too soon to joke?"

She nodded, furrowing her brow for a split-second. "Just a little."

Allie got off the stool and stood directly in front of Greg. "Can I go home now? I really wanna call Dylan, but I've got no batteries in my cell."

Greg groped around his pocket for a moment before finally pulling out his phone.

"You can use this if you like." Allie snatched it out of his hand and went to phone her brother.

"_Hello?" _A small voice said groggily from the other end of the line. Allie smirked.

"Hi, Dylan."

"_Allie! Hey. How'd the date go?"_

"It was…interesting. But good." For the most part, anyway. Until a raving-psycho-lunatic raided the hotel. Well, she could hardly tell this to an invalid, could she? "How are you?"

"_Great. Nick and Warrick are the coolest!" _Dylan talked excitedly. _"They only left half an hour ago, I think. Are you okay?"_

Allie wiped a small tear off her check, grinning at her brother. "Of course. I miss you though. Anywho, I'll be round tomorrow for a while. Was Mom or Dad with you?"

"_Yeah. Both of 'em. At different times, but… Oh, I've gotta go. Nurse What's-her-face is here. Night, Al."_

"Good-night Dylan. I love you."

"_Yeah, yeah… love you, too. Bye!"_

Allie clicked off, wandering back over to Greg.

"I'm ready to go now if that's okay."

He turned round, looking at Allie's puncture mark. "As you wish." He placed his hand on her back as they walked out to the car.

"So, no Spiderman 3?"

Allie hit Greg a playful little slap across his arm, laughing.

"Maybe tomorrow…if you're lucky."

She sauntered off into the passenger seat while Greg was already turning on the ignition. She checked her nails yet again. "By the way," Greg turned to face her. She leant in and kissed him lightly. "I never did thank you for saving my life."

_A/N: Dun, dun, dun! I know, first date and they kissed. Tsk. LOL. Anyway, is it just Year1989Rocks and Mindi that are reading this??? I hope not! Please R&R! BTW, thank you to the above mentioned for the excellent reviews. I hope they enjoyed ;)_

_Jaunty_

_XOX_


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Ch. 11

Sara Sidle sat on a park bench somewhere near, and out of sight of, the crime lab, agonising whether she should go into work or call in sick today. For the past couple of days she had chosen the latter. She sighed, picking her bag up, priming herself to get into the crime lab and do her job to the best possible- Ah, forget it. How could she look Grissom in the eye now? Best to ignore the problem till everyone forgets about it. What if he never forgot about it? She sat back down and picked up her cell phone. Her screen was blank and her phone was off.

"Odd…" Sara muttered to herself as she switched it back on. It jingled a happy tune before a small note appeared; Ten New Voice Messages. Sara rolled her eyes. Pressing the select button, Sara noticed Catherine enter the crime lab with Warrick and Nick in tow. She looked back at her screen. All ten messages were from…

"Grissom?" Just then, before she had anytime to process her thoughts, her phone started vibrating in her hand. She jumped slightly, drawing a sharp breath. She checked the lab again. This time Gil Grissom was standing about outside it, phone held up to his ear, looking around himself. She smirked, despite herself.

"Hey, Grissom." She said, unsteadily. Grissom half-smiled.

"Hello, Sara."

"Can I, uh, help you?"

Grissom leant against the front wall, sighing and running a hand through his hair. "Only if you're coming to work today. I heard you were sick."

"Yeah," Sara coughed feebly. "I had a little flu-thing going on. I'm fine now though. How are you?"

"I…" Grissom paused for a moment. Sara could feel her teeth grind. "I'm fine, thank you."

"Great. Okay, well…I'll be there soon. Bye."

"Goodbye."

With that, Grissom sighed and walked into the lab. Sara rubbed her neck and followed.

The possibilities of love are impossible, isn't that what Grissom had said a few weeks ago? Granted, it was relating toward a homicide but it did have a nice ring to it. _Impossible_, Sara wondered, _or just crazy?_

When Catherine, Nick and Warrick poked their heads through the break room looking forward to the first cup of coffee since yesterday, Allie and Greg were already sitting chatting to each other. Greg, dressed in a green shirt and regular jeans, had a stupid grin on his face while Allie, sporting a blue blouse and a denim skirt also opting for her hair down for a change, sat scowling into her hot chocolate. She had just explained to Greg about Bonnie's plans to move in for a while and take care of Dylan. Catherine turned round to raise an eyebrow at Nick and Warrick before she flounced into the room. They followed shortly after.

"Well, I hear Greggo here saved your life the other night…" Catherine stomped right in there and sat at the table. Greg rolled his eyes.

"That was nothing." He waved the subject away like it was a mere fly. Allie smirked. She wondered what he thought of the 'date'. Given that she nearly died (something she still hadn't come to grips with just yet) and her giant neck-wound was going to be a constant reminder of that. For reasons unknown, she had decided to wear it with pride using a lower cut blouse just to show it off.

"He did indeed, Catherine." She bit her lower lip. "And again, thank you, Sanders."

Greg smiled, bowing his head in embarrassment.

Warrick intercepted the conversation. "Michael Loggins, huh? Yeah…nasty little…" Warrick trailed off, making a fist with his hands and shaking his head. "We, uh, had words a couple months ago." Warrick looked at Nick. "_He_ was the guy that clanged my car! Man, I swear-"

"Come on, Warrick." Nick sighed, pulling Warrick by the cuff and leading him towards the door. "I told Ecklie we'd drop by later."

Allie scoffed. "Why?"

Nick scratched his head.

"To be honest, he kinda ordered me to. No rest for the wicked, isn't that what they say?" He furrowed his brow before disappearing out the door with Warrick.

Allie turned back to Catherine and Greg.

"Any sign of Sara?"

"Nope." Catherine and Greg shook their heads and responded in unison, freaking each other out slightly. Greg tutted.

"Grissom's getting kinda antsy." Catherine adopted a pitiful look.

Greg folded his arms, sitting forward.

"I'll bet it had something to do with the rumours. Maybe Sara cracked under the pressure."

"Oh-kay. You are officially a fan-boy." Allie stood up, grinning to Catherine. "I gotta go and work. Keep an eye on this one will you, Cath? Sometimes he worries me." She leant over and ruffled Greg's hair. He swatted her away with his hands, muttering under his breath.

"Will do, Allie. By the way, I'll need those prints sometime, oh, I don't know…_this week_…" Catherine made a point of looking deep into her watch. Allie nodded.

"Alrighty then. Greg, I'll meet you in here about lunchtime?"

He glanced up from his newly acquired coffee. "Uh, what?"

"Me…you…lunch…here…okay?"

"Yeah, sure." He nodded. For him, the 'date' didn't go quite according to plan. Getting held at knife-point versus candlelit dinner and then a movie - he knew which one he would rather. Although that kiss… "I'll look forward to it."

"Great. Bye!" Allie trounced out the door. Catherine cleared her throat and turned round to face Greg.

"All right, Fan-Boy. Spill all!"

_A/N: Filler chapters. Blech! Anyway, at least we know where Sara is. Again, I apologise for the lack of updates. Small amounts of writers block have been gnawing at me. Maybe that's why this chapter kinda sucked… _

_R&R and you shall be rewarded with a cookie ;)_

_No flames! Thanks you!_

_Grapes,_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Ch. 15

Back at Allie's house, Bonnie Moore held her hand over her fore-head. Her hair was upturned into a bun. Dylan was sat on the couch – legs resting on the couch - listening to MTV. After waiting several days to finally be let out of hospital, he reasoned that he should be able to watch as much MTV, as loud as he wanted, as was humanly possibly. Allie agreed with the idea. Bonnie, however, wasn't as enthusiastic. Mostly, her television viewing consisted of The Oprah Winfrey Show and QVC. Occasionally, Maury Povich would slip in there, too.

"Dylan!" She shouted, shaking her head. Dylan jumped, being transported out of his own world.

"What!?"

"That infernal racket, that's what! Turn it down. Or off. Either way, I'm happy!"

"Mother, this is not an infernal racket. This is none other than My Chemical-"

"Romance, yeah, yeah - I know! This is the eighth time I've heard this song in-" She looked at the clock hanging upon the wall. "Two hours!" Bonnie slapped her hand against the side of her face.

"Look, just reason with me here."

Dylan tutted under his breath. "What do you mean, Ma?"

"I mean, find something good to watch. Or at least listen to." She noticed the pained expression on his face. That seemed to be his only expression since she had arrived. "Look, I know you and Allie aren't entirely struck on me moving in on your little parade thing, but… I love you both and I really wish I'd see more of you. Me moving out was very difficult, but I knew Allie would do her very best at looking after you. Anyway, Carl is _nearly_ finished with his trial-job, so."

Dylan smiled, even though he knew Carl wasn't even half way through his trial. "Thanks, Ma." He handed her the remote. She took it graciously and sat beside him.

"Say, Dylan…Why don't you teach me more about those, uh, Fall Out Boy people?" Bonnie grinned, opening a small bag of crisps. He laughed.

"Sweet!"

"Not a match." Sara Sidle pranced into Gil Grissom's office wielding a handful of papers and two cups of coffee. Grissom looked up from his computer. He took his glasses off, set them aside on the desk and smiled.

"Excuse me?"

"The, uh, arsonist. Well, the suspected arsonist. Not a match to the prints found at the second scene." Sara sat down, examining the large book collection just above Grissom's head, giving out a false impression that she was staring him in the eyes. He sat back in his chair.

"I meant you."

"What about me?"

"You came back."

Sara noticed a small pattern of three-word-sentences emerging. "Yes, I did."

"Thank you, Sara."

She laughed, actually looking at Grissom for the first time since she entered the fairly large room. They waited a few moments before either of them spoke again.

"Can I ask you a question?" Sara inquired, sitting forward.

"Sure. Go right ahead."

"Did…uh, did you honestly think I wasn't going to come back?"

A stony silence fell over the room and for a split-second Sara wondered if she maybe took it a step too far. Then she remembered – she kissed him. How did that not come under overstepping the mark?

"Honestly, I don't know."

"Well, neither was I." Sara smiled, stood up, walked to the door. "But, you know what?"

"Hm?"

She looked at the floor. "I'm glad I did."

After her small rant, she left the room.

"So, Greggo… you ready?"

Allie sauntered over to the chair Greg had chosen in the break room. He looked up.

"What for?"

"Mm." She shrugged. "Don't know yet. Just anywhere." She held up the small, plastic bag she had in her clutches. "I brought food, though so…"

Greg stood up, pointing to the door. "Go forth and spread the word, then."

"The word is?"

"Hallelujah? Olive oil? Moses? Squee, I'm a tree?"

Allie laughed. "Oh, any of those." She took a hold of his hand and walked out, smiling at Sara as she walked towards them. "Hey! Where've you been?"

Sara folded her arms. "Oh, just around." Greg cleared his throat.

"Around the lab, or…?"

"Nope. Just around." She nodded her head. Allie smirked.

"How's Grissom?"

Sara's expression didn't falter. Greg wasn't even sure if she blinked or not during this whole conversation. "He's fine. Why do you ask?"

"No reason. He's been kinda lost in thought for a while, though."

Sara smiled at them, falsely. "I, uh, I'm gonna get some coffee now. Bye?"

"Oh, right, bye." Greg prompted Allie to keep walking. She frowned.

"Yeah. Take care, Sara."

With that, the two exchanged a look of sheer amusement. Sometimes, _just sometimes_, being a lab-rat was the best job ever. Especially when you got to interrogate your elders.

_A/N: Hi there! Sara's back at last, but what does Grissom really think? Where are Greg and Allie going? All will be revealed (Well, most will be revealed) In the next instalment of…Blossoms In The Dust…please R&R! No flames please! Tell all your friends! _

_Best of luck, Dudes, _

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	17. Chapter Sixteen

Ch. 16

In Greg's car, Allie noticed a distinct lack of CDs. Actually, Allie noticed a distinct lack of everything. No mess, no crud, no dirt. She'd been in Greg's car loads of times yet somehow she'd never noticed how clean it was. She flicked the radio on. To her surprise, Dolly Parton started singing at them. She scoffed.

"What the heck is this?" Allie stared at Greg.

He swallowed, half-smiling to himself.

"It's not mine. It's actually, uh, my Mom's."

"Really?"

"Of course it is!" He raised his voice. "Why else would it be here?"

"Oh, who knows…maybe you have a secret fondness for country and-" Allie gasped dramatically at Greg's expression. "You like country and western music!"

"I do not!"

"Yes…yes, you do!" Allie laughed. "Dude, I was only kidding the first time but…you like country music!"

"All right." He pulled into a small wooded area. Allie bit her lip. "You do not tell anyone. But it's really not that bad." Greg raised his hands in defeat. "Well, some of it's okay, I guess, but-"

"Look, it's fine. We all have something we like, or really have, to keep a secret." Allie giggled. Greg clenched his jaw and clicked the buttons on their seat-belts.

"Outta the car." His tone was low, yet slightly amused. Allie took the basket from the back seat and stepped out.

"Ah…alright. Hey, where are we, exactly? And will we be long cause I'm back at work in half an hour…"

Greg made an elusive noise in the back of his throat and motioned for Allie to sit down at one of the tables. "I thought this was your idea, anyway."

"Well, I hadn't planned on us stopping to buy 'Rolling Stones Magazine'." She shook her head, pulling her hair out of it's clip.

"'Rolling _Stone', _Allie. Not stones. They're a band."

"I know!"

"I know you know."

"Then why'd you tell me?" She raised her eyebrow at him, smiling. He smirked, pulling a sandwich, bag of chips and a small bottle of apple juice out and setting it in front of Allie.

"Because…you're looking really nice today, by the way. I did mention that, didn't I?"

Allie threw her heads into her hands. "So cheap! Good way to get out of an argument, though and no…you didn't."

Greg winked at her with both eyes.

"So, how'd you find this place? It's lovely…" Allie glanced around and then took a bite out of her ham-cucumber-mayonnaise sandwich. Greg cleared his throat.

"I'm not really sure. You know, I think it was just after you came to the lab. I was out wandering and – voila. I really love that tree." He pointed to a tree directly above Allie's head. There wasn't really anything specifically nice about it. It had large green leaves that shimmered into a silvery colour when it caught the sunlight. Allie noticed a small indentation on the trunk. She tilted her head, squinting her eyes, trying to get a better view at it. Greg did the same.

"What're you doing?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink. Allie stood up, walking towards the tree.

"There's a thing…" She trailed off, becoming closer to the tree. Soon enough, she was stood in front of it. Greg shook his head and followed her. As soon as she was right up beside it, Allie could finally read the tiny –yet intricate and very clear to read- inscription. She began to read it aloud.

"_To whom it may concern: My name is JIMMY MEADE. It is 1956 and I am 11 yrs old. If you see this messagein the future please __try to find me__! Thank bye."_

Allie grinned, thinking Jimmy must've gotten fed up with carving. Greg, who had long since finished his sandwich, dusted off his hands and cleared his throat.

"Wow. That's old."

"Yeah." Allie straightened up, nodding. Her face turned serious for a while, as if deep in thought. "Hey, wouldn't it be odd if, um, Jimmy was still around and, well," she stared contemplativly at her nails. "we went, uh, _looking_ for him…"

Greg laughed for a split second before he saw Allie's new expression. It was one of sheer innocence with just a dash of hope thrown in for good measure. He knew that look. That was the look that made him do just about anything for her. That was her manipulative look. He kicked a tiny rock out of his way, a high-pitched groan coming from his mouth. "Allie…"

"Sanders…"

"It'll be too much-"

"What? Hassle? Annoyance? Joy when we actually find him and tell him that we saw his little message that obviously meant so much to him when he was such a little, tiny-"

"Allie! He might be dead!"

Allie thought this over before shaking her head. "Mm…he'll only be sixty-two. Unless…"

"Unless what?"

"Unless he got murdered or had some sort of really bad disease-thing got him. Come on, Sanders!" She ran up to him and latched onto his arm, prompting him to walk back to the table.

"No."

"Please, Sanders?"

"Nope."

"It really would mean a lot to me?"

"Uh…no."

"Please, Gregory?"

He stopped, smiling at her. "Better."

"So we'll look for him." She grinned.

"I didn't say yes…I just said that was better."

"Greg!"

"Okay."

"Wait, what? You'll say yes if I call you…oh. Oh!" She threw her arms around his neck in an ecstatic embrace. Greg, for once, was actually lost for words.

"You're, uh…welcome, I guess."

Allie let go of him and frowned. "Well, at least look a little happy about it."

"Fine." Greg smiled. "But if he's dead or dying then-" He stopped, a great plan suddenly springing to his mind. "How's about we make a bet."

Allie nodded, clearing up the remainders of lunch. She blew a stray bit of hair out of her mouth. "I'm, uh, listening."

Greg sidled up beside her, a mischevious grin playing over his lips, eyebrow arched. Allie stifled a smile, feeling a great sense of contentment. Sometimes Greg just had that effect on her.

"If he isn't dead, then I'll do something you want and, uh, if he is dead then you're gonna do something for me."

Allie raised her head, slightly taken-a-back at his plan.

"Okay…what is it?"

"Mm. I think, maybe you could do a little match-making." Greg, feeling inspired by Nick's bet, ventured forward. After all, so far it had worked well for him. And all he had to do was sweet talk Mrs. Stokes for fifteen minutes and then drop her off at a hotel. Done.

"Between who, exactly?"

"That," He took the small carrier bag full of rubbish out of her hand, nodded at the car and snaked an arm around her shoulders. This time, she grinned full beam. "Is for me to know, and you not to."

"Oh, you buzzkill! I think you've got a bet, though."

"Any ideas for my favour?"

"I'll think of something." Suddenly, she realized how dirty and slightly disturbing this whole conversation sounded. She sighed. "Um, nothing bad, though. In case…maybe you were wondering…Yellow car!"

Greg was about to ask where the yellow car was, but Allie punched him in the arm.

"What the…"

"Gotcha, Greggo."

_A/N: So sorry for the lack of updates! I had the cold for a few weeks there, but I'm fine now so :)_

_Hope you liked the chapter. Please R&R and tell all your friends! No flames!_

_PS: How amazingly cool is right alignment??? I love it!_

_Sweet dreams,_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	18. Chapter Seventeen

Ch. 17

Bonnie emptied her bag onto the bed for the second time today. It seemed that whenever she was looking for something, the whole bag had to be tipped out and rifled through. She sighed and picked up the phone.

"7752…" She cleared her throat, priming herself for the dial tone. After three rings, someone picked it up.

"Yes?"

"Carl?"

"Bonnie! How are you? I've been trying to call."

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Except my phone's missing…anyway, how are you?"

"Good. The job's going well. Cats are great. So is the dog. Parrot is, uh, well…"

"On the roof?"

"What?"

"On the roof? Dead?"

"No! No, no, no. He's alive, but I may have, kinda, sold him."

"Oh. No harm done then."

"Yeah. What about Dylan? You spoken to him yet about the move?"

"Not yet." Bonnie lowered her voice and closed the door. "But I will. And I promise, once he has that bandage off –which isn't gonna be too long, he'll be on the next plane to Miami with me. Believe me, Carl, I trust Allie – I really do!- but it would be so much better if he was with me. I'd worry a lot less. I do worry you know."

"I know, Bonnie."

"Anyway, I'll call you later. Say hi to the kids. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

Bonnie clicked off, standing up and heading to Dylan.

"Better give him time to prepare."

Then she was gone.

Back at the lab, Allie had just finished checking through a recent history of deaths in the area – a pastime not envied by many – and thus far no people by the name of Jimmy Meade had died. She sighed and took a swig of hot chocolate. She pressed the 'X' button at the top of the screen and started a new search. Criminal records. A soft sound of shuffling feet resounded through the room. It was Nick.

"Hey."

"Hello, Nick."

"How's it going?" He pulled over a seat and made use of it, yawning.

"Uh…I'm not really sure. See, me and Sanders were out having lunch at this place. Chestnut Avenue or something…completely wrong title for the place. It's beautiful. Full of trees, and there's a few tables and a swing and…Anywho, I spotted this little engraving in a tree. It was made in the fifties by some guy called Jimmy Meade. He said that, if somebody finds that engraving in the future, they had to look for him."

Nick pondered this for a while. "Okay, I'm tired. I've been up all night. Very little sleep and I can't go for anymore coffee. This Meade guy, what else do you know about him?"

"Well, essentially…de nada. But I'm searching."

"And he's from the fifties?" She nodded. "What age was he?"

"Eleven. 1956, I think. He'll be sixty-two by now. Hopefully he's not dead."

"So, you're using valuable working time searching for a guy, that you don't know anything about, who might be dead or even a prank done a couple weeks ago because…?"

"Because I'm curious. And I have a bet with Greg."

"Oh."

Suddenly, an array of lines popped up on the computer.

"Aha! This is what we like to see."

"What?" Nick pulled the chair in closer now.

"Listen to this; _James Meade, Jnr. arrested on suspicion of vandalism of nature." Allie silently wondered if they really needed so many uses of the word 'of'. "It doesn't have a date on it…do you think this is our guy?"_

"Who knows. What else is there?"

"Uh, he's been framed for assault, vandalism – again – and attempted arson."

"Sounds like a character, all right."

"Yeah. Attempted vandalism was only a couple of years ago, Nick – I can try and get an address – bingo!"

"22 Orchard Grove. That's…I have no idea where that is."

"That's beside me. Well, up the road a little and then beside me. Excellent. This guy'll be sixty now though…that can't be right, can it?"

"Maybe he lied about his age."

"Mm. Thanks Nick."

Allie got up, patted Nick on the shoulder and started for the door.

"Hey!"

"What?"

"How are you and Greg doing?"

"Great." Allie looked over at the lab's entrance. She could see Greg and Hodges having a slight altercation at the microscopes. "Thanks again, Nicky."

"Good luck with your Jimmy Meade."

"Excellent!"

_A/N: Hi!_

_Okay, more chapter fillers but I will have more drama happening soon. Any ideas as to who this Meade character is? Good. Me neither ;)_

_Please R&R but no flames!_

_Take it easy, Folks!_

_JauntyChick_

_XOX_


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Ch. 18**

Grissom stood in front of the fridge glancing inside with a look of sheer contempt for the contents that lay there. So far, the morning had went exceedingly well. If you disregard the fact that Sara had made herself scarce for the whole day. Any time he went looking for her, she was off getting information from Archie or somebody. And she wasn't answering her cell or her beeper. So far, Grissom was sure he had a suspect or two in mind. If he could only get a hold of Sara for just a second…

"Hello, Grissom." Allie stepped into the break room in search of an apple. She had let her hair loose for a while as she felt it going slightly numb in the scrunchie. "How's it going?"

"Fine, thank you. Hodges told me about your missing guy."

"Oh, uh, Jimmy. Yeah he's not really missing. He's kinda…" Allie made a strange noise in the back of her throat. "Incommunicado shall we say. For the moment, anyway."

"Ah." Grissom nodded, holding one of his bagels in his hands. It seemed to be the only appealing thing in the kitchen today. "Well, I hope you find him."

Just as he was about to leave the room, Allie stopped him. Unlike her lab counterpart, Allie had never really been too intimidated by Grissom. Occasionally, she'd get really annoyed by him and storm out to the lockers and rant for a while, but then she was fine.

"Grissom," She started, waving a hand so as he would sit down. "Can we talk?"

"Actually, could it wait? I have to find Sara…" He trailed off, staring into the clock.

"It's about Sara." Allie closed the door and sat on the sofa. Not the cosiest thing in the world, but it was a blessing if she had been standing all day processing epithelials. Grissom pursed his lips and sighed.

"All right. Go ahead, Allison."

Allie cleared her throat before she began. "Okay. I know it's not really my place to say, but, uh, Sara…she's been kinda distant for a while now and, well…do you know why?"

It took him a long second to reply.

"No. I don't." He shook his head and looked Allie straight in the eyes. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm curious." She said, truthfully. "That and I saw Sara in a meeting today."

"With who?"

"Ecklie. Not only that, but a very serious looking Ecklie. Sara didn't look too pleased either."

Grissom's mind began turning almost like a clock.

"Any idea where she went after that?"

Allie shook her head. "Sorry. But, I could ask around, uh, if you like."

Grissom got up, handed the bagel to Allie and opened the door. "Sure. Just call me if you find her."

And then he was gone.

Allie stared at the lone bagel. She had already eaten a few sandwiches from her and Greg's 'picnic'. Then she had a slice of cake…what harm could a little bagel do?

She grabbed it and took a bite, instantly regretting it as there was something soft and downright gooey in the middle. She frowned and lifted the top off it. Sitting there was a tiny puddle of passion fruit seeds. Allie spat the remainder of stuff in her mouth into the nearby bin. She threw the rest of the bagel in the bin and wiped her mouth.

"Who the hell puts passion fruit seeds in their bagel?" She wondered aloud, suddenly waltzing out of the door.

Out from the tiny space between the wall and the sofa, David Hodges appeared with a tiny smile playing on his lips.

Little did he know, only three people held all the answers to everyone's questions; Grissom, Sara…and Nick Stokes.

"Dylan…we have to talk, please."

"Go right ahead, Ma." Dylan turned his music down, grinning at his mother. She had changed into formalwear and tied her hair up into a bun. She cleared her throat.

"It's about moving…to Miami…with me…"

"Okay…" Dylan bit his lower lip, quite surprised by the conversation. "Who is?"

Bonnie laughed nervously. "Well, you I hope."

"Mom? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Dylan. I kinda am." She moved closer to him, hands folded together. "You see, Allie's great and all… but I really would love if you came to stay. A-at least to see if you'd like it. If not, you know I'd send you back. ASAP." For once, Bonnie couldn't seem to control her words. "Would you think about it, at least?"

It took a while for these words to actually sink into Dylan's mind. When they did, he shrugged.

"I guess I could." Bonnie rolled her eyes. Typical teenager's response. He blinked. "Why though?"

"Why what?"

"Why now? After all these months of, uh," he shook his head as if looking around for a word. "just living with Carl? What, suddenly you miss me?"

He didn't really mean for that sentence to just _snap_ out there, or sound quite as hurtful as it really did…but how else could he ask?

"Well," Bonnie laughed easily yet with a slight hint of nervousness hidden there, too. "Of course I missed you. I missed both of you. But, Dylan…I'm on my own a lot because of Carl being at work all day and most nights now, too…I guess…I guess I just want someone to talk to." She stood up, still clutching at her hand. "I can't get a job. I mean, I have a few retail things lined up but…" Her eyes started to fill with tears as she thought of giving up fashion for a job in a supermarket or something. She tried her best to blink them back. "Could you think about it for me, please?"

Dylan sighed, hating to see his mother upset but at the same time wondering what life without living with Allie would be like. After all, she was the one person who had never actually left home before.

He lifted his head, half-smiling.

"Sure, Ma. I'll think about it."

Bonnie wiped away a tear before turning on her heel and smiling at Dylan. "Thanks, Kiddo."

And then she left the room, grinning to herself.

She thought on how she had been a myriad of emotions today…yet the sadness had been an act. She had no intentions of being lonely in Miami, she just wanted at least one of her children near her…was that so bad?

N/A: Hi again! Just in case you all were wondering, Bonnie isn't a villain. She's got a cunning plan is all ;)

Hope you liked it…please R&R but no flames!

Squee,

JauntyChick

XOX


	20. Chapter Nineteen

Ch. 19

Greg Sanders was flicking through the pages of Kerrang! when Allie waltzed in, coat on one arm and bag in the other. He looked up.

"Hi."

"Hi, indeed." She smiled, moving closer to him. "So, I got a few Jimmy Meade's around the place. I'm gonna check a couple of 'em tomorrow. Maybe take Nick with me. Unless," she started drawing tiny invisible circles on the desk with her fingers. "Maybe you'd wanna come with me instead?"

He flopped the magazine down, stood up and grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!" He quickly took off his lab-coat and replaced it with a dark blazer and sunglasses. "I'm off now…we could get at least two of them checked…" He stopped rushing around for a second and stopped when he got a proper view of Allie. Her hair was tied up into a beehive type of arrangement with a silver-shiny hair-band separating it. Greg glanced at the ground, awkwardly. "You look great."

"Thanks. That the first you've noticed?" She laughed. He pressed a button and suddenly Hodges appeared –again, as if by magic!- running all the way. Allie frowned.

"You know, Sanders, if I didn't know better, I'd say you've been training him for these occasions."

Greg looked at Hodges, whose face quite resembled something out of a horror flick. Maybe the screaming girl getting chased by Satan's Little Helper or possibly the angry father who doesn't want his kids going camping at the haunted house by the swamp. "Good thing you know better then, isn't it? Come on." Greg urged Allie to walk out ahead of him as he turned round to see his other lab partner. "There are two of Grissom's projects in the machine, so just give them to him when he arrives. He's hoping for a match."

"Mm, so is everyone else, I hear." Hodges muttered to himself when he thought Greg was out of earshot.

"What?" Greg poked his head through the door again.

Hodges mentally cursed himself.

"Uh, nothing. You go. Have fun." He drawled sarcastically, swaying himself from side to side in time with the music from the iPod in his brain. "Leave me here…bored and overworked…underpaid…I suppose you wouldn't mind, what with Allie to-" Hodges turned round to see nobody where Greg had been stood just seconds before. He rolled his eyes.

"The nerve on some people." He shook his head, wondering how on earth he had gotten to talking to himself.

"Okay, this guy is fifty-four. Long shot, but maybe he lied about his age." Allie handed Greg the small yellow post-it as they made their way up a well-planted driveway somewhere in Henderson. Greg furrowed an eyebrow.

"Why would he do that?"

Allie stopped in her tracks, a peeved look on her face.

"Why would he carve a small message on a tree in 1956?"

Greg thought about this for a second then nodded.

"Good point." He tucked the note into his pocket.

"Now, you go first."

"Why?"

"Because, you're a woman. And he's a felon."

"Oh. That's nice, dear." Allie proclaimed, amusedly.

"I didn't mean it like that, I meant…"

Just then, they were stood on the front porch of Jimmy Meade #1's house. It was large, with a tiny conservatory at the side. Greg wondered why he'd even bothered with it. Allie waited for a nod from Greg, took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The seconds passed and Allie could feel herself mentally counting to ten before she ran away. Greg tapped his fingers against his legs in a tiny drumming motion.

Then, about forty seconds later, a short man, wearing glasses and a grey cardigan opened the door. He looked as though he had a lazy eye and maybe a hearing aid. Allie felt her heartstrings getting pulled as she heard watched him. That was the very moment she decided that this wasn't such a good idea. Greg noticed her expression turn very suddenly to that of a five year old girl. He swallowed.

"Good evening, Sir, I'm Greg Sanders. I'm from the Crime Lab." He pointed backwards with his thumb. The old man put his monocle on, eyeing Greg and Allie cautiously. Allie didn't even know that people still had those.

"Crime lab, eh?" His voice was very deep, and very Texan. "Well…" he stood back and leant against the door frame. "How can I help you?"

"You Jimmy Meade?" Greg started again, more confident now. Allie smirked to herself. She had been the first person Greg had confided to about his urge to become a CSI. Jimmy #1 frowned.

"Depends."

Greg shared a small look with Allie as she cleared her throat.

"Who's the young lady?" He asked, pointing to Allie.

"Uh, I'm Allie Moore. Also, from the crime-lab." All at once, Allie's mind flooded with questions…what if she and Greg got in serious trouble for this? Okay, she sounded like a ten year old who had been caught stealing from his brothers and sisters…but she really hadn't thought on that.

"Look, did you carve this message," She handed him the note from her pocket. "into a tree in 1956?"

Jimmy #1 sighed and started reading. As he read, his head bobbed from side to side. "Nope. Sorry. There's another Jimmy Meade on up the road. About a half a mile, I reckon."

Allie sighed. Greg nodded and stood down a step, taking hold of Allie's hand.

"Thanks anyway, Mr. Meade."

"Yeah."

Jimmy #1 shut his door, mumbling to himself all the way.

"Okay, Al…where to next?"

"What?"

"Where's the next Jimmy Meade? You said there was about four. That's one. Half a mile in which direction?" Greg looked around, causing Allie to tut.

"Are you nuts, Sanders? That guy…ah." She shook her head, sallying on down the drive.

"Okay, so he wasn't the nicest. Doesn't mean Jimmy #2'll be the same."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Anyway, this is _your_ idea."

Allie kept quiet til she got to the car. "Be that as it may, Sanders, you still owe me a movie."

Greg smiled and continued on the road to Jimmy Meade #2

So, Jimmy #2 was a bust as well. Not the end of the world. They still had at least an hour of searching and it would only take them ten minutes until Jimmy #3. Jimmy #2 was fat, old and deaf, which didn't make for the best combination. Allie crossed the first two off the list.

"Okay…we'll go for this guy and if he's not the one…then we'll do it tomorrow. I should get my car back around three, so…" Allie started multiplying and subtracting in her mind. Greg looked over to find her biting on her bottom lip as usual.

"What about Dylan?" He asked, quietly.

"Huh? Oh! Mom said she'd take care of him and Gus until next week and then she's back in Miami. He'll still have the cast. In fact, he'll probably have that for a while. The doctor said he can travel, so we'll still be camping this year."

"Ah, I didn't know you camped."

"Yep. Every year, since he was five. I actually don't think the year would be the same without it."

"Papa Olaf took me and my sisters out to Salt Lake City once. I don't think I've ever seen so many bats in my life."

Allie laughed. "Well, the most adventure I ever had was about six years ago…I woke up to a frog about two inches away from my face! Ugh." She shuddered just thinking on it's horrible, green slimy body. "Dylan got chicken-pox one year though."

"Nice. Got that when I was ten."

"Sweet. Four."

"Oh."

They chatted for another few minutes about random diseases they had gotten as kids. Allie had gotten measles and a flu that lasted six months, whereas Greg had gotten off lightly with just chicken-pox. And then they arrived at Jimmy #3's house. Allie yawned as she got out of the car. The walk to this guy's house was a lot less tense. Greg knocked on the door this time. It was yellow…but it seemed to be made of wood. Almost instantly, a fresh-faced fifty-one-year-old with a pair of beige golf trousers and a pink polo-shirt opened the door. His hair was white, but there was a lot of it.

"Hi there." He greeted, with a high voice. Allie smiled.

"Hello. I'm Allison Moore and this is Gregory Sanders. We're from the Las Vegas Crime Lab just down the ro-"

"Crime lab? Is everything okay?"

"Oh! Yes…everything's fine." Allie threw her hands up. "Sorry."

"Phew! You got me going there. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"Are you Jimmy Meade?" Greg asked this time.

"Why, yes."

"Mr. Meade, is there any chance you might have carved an inscription onto a tree in 1956?" Allie asked, thinking how utterly stupid she must've sounded. Jimmy #3 suddenly got a startled look as he opened his mouth to speak but shut it again very quickly. Greg noticed this immediately.

"Sir? Are you alright?" He asked, hoping that the man wouldn't keel over with shock. "Sir?"

"Huh? Oh…um…no. That's not me." Jimmy #3 laughed raucously, slapping his leg. "Definitely not! Do I look like a vandal? Ah…sorry, folks." He started walking back inside his house. "Listen, I'd love to chat…but I've got a golf tournament…thing going on, so. Bye-bye now." He shut the door behind him.

Allie glared at Greg, before knocking on the door again. It took him a little longer to answer the door this time.

"Yes?" He answered, curtly. Allie folded her arms.

"Are you sure you didn't carve any messages?"

"Of course I am! Now, kindly get off my property or I will have you sued for harassment."

Allie held her hands up in defeat, shaking her head.

"All right. Sorry, Sir. We didn't mean to bother you." Her tone was sympathetic, yet she felt strangely upset by the man. Greg took a hold of her arm, nodded to the man and walked down the path with her.

"You okay?" He asked, half-grinning.

"Yeah. I'm pretty sure he's Jimmy you know. But why is he denying it, though?"

"Maybe he just doesn't like being accused of things he didn't do. Grissom sure doesn't." Greg stuffed his hand in his left pocket and pulled out his car keys. Allie turned round to spot Jimmy #3 scowling out of the window. She sighed, getting into the car.

"You know, I'm kinda hungry." She then looked at her watch; 9:57PM. Allie wondered where Jimmy #3 was going for his game of golf. Oh well, guess she'd never know. "How about pizza?"

Greg was still fumbling with the seat-belt. "Uh…yeah...sounds great…"

"Greg?"

Greg stopped, turned round and, with a serious look of anger across his face, Allie had to laugh.

"What's wrong with you?"

"This…" He grabbed the small black belt and it made a great big 'CLUNK!' noise. "_this _never works!"

Now that he came to mention it, Allie remembered another couple of instances where it had never done up properly.

"You know, I could probably get my guy to look at it." She said, earnestly. Greg sighed and rubbed his face.

"Okay…I'm taking this to the lab, and we'll get a cab to wherever."

The drive back to the crime lab was only about three minutes long in total, so all Allie would have to do is hold Greg's seat-belt in place.

"Hey, how about the White Rose Café?"

"Mm…what about it?"

"Well, I mean, it was nice…and they did say we'd never have to book again. And it's only a tiny distance away from the lab, so…"

"You mean, those strawberries were great and you want more?"

Allie knew their dating experiences had went slightly awry from the beginning, but maybe starting again –and not having a slight near-death-experience- would help.

"Well…" Greg smirked, letting Allie take hold of the belt.

"Alrighty then…go forth, Sanders."

Allie grinned, suddenly looking forward to those strawberries.


	21. Chapter Twenty

1Ch. 20

Upon saying goodnight to Greg, Allie placed her bag on top of the hat-stand at her door. She noticed her mother's bags standing tall beside each other. Packed.

Allie took her coat off and flung it over the hat-stand. Walking farther into the room, she spotted three of Dylan's suitcases, also packed to the brim.

"Mom?" Allie called out. No less than six seconds later, Bonnie swanned into the room, jacket on and hair scraped tightly into a bun. In her hand was a pencil and an A4 sheet of light-pink paper.

"Oh." Bonnie frowned. "Hi Allie."

Allie held her hand up in the air in a waving motion. "Hey." She scratched her head, licked her lower lip and pointed to the bags. "You, uh, going on holiday?"

Bonnie shook her head, faintly. "Not...not exactly." She motioned for herself and Allie to sit down. Allie did as she was told. Bonnie cleared her throat and continued.

"You see, because Carl has my credit cards and, uh, things, I-I'll have to go back home."

Bonnie knew Allie didn't approve when she called Miami 'home'.

"Okay...and, you've got so much stuff that you've gotta purloin my brother's bags?" Allie smiled hopefully. Dylan then came sauntering in from the hall in a wheelchair.

"Hi Al." He said, sheepishly. Allie, growing more and more confused by the second, furrowed her eyebrow. She muttered a quick hello and stood up.

"Right, you, uh, want me to make you a sandwich for the ride to Miami, Mom?" Allie stood up and wiped her hand on her trouser-leg. Dylan parked himself in front of the door so as Allie couldn't escape.

"Actually, you might have to make them for the both of us." Dylan mumbled. Yet it didn't seem quiet enough to him.

"Excuse me?"

"Allie," Bonnie started. "I think it'd be best if I took Dylan home with me for a little while. Just for now."

Allie, dumbfounded in all of this, shook her head again. "Why?"

Maybe Dylan confided in his mom that he thought of himself as a burden...or maybe he just saw it as a holiday...unlikely, but with Dylan - one would never know.

"I just wanna spend some time with him...I mean," Bonnie stood up and -dramatically- flounced over to the other side of the room. "I've barely seen either of you this year..."

"So, why not stay here for a little while?" Allie asked, innocently. She felt her hair being extremely tight in it's beehive. There must've been at least twenty-nine kirby-grips in her hair.

"Because I have a job. And with a job comes responsibility." Bonnie snapped, forgetting that her daughter had a very difficult job that she had to face almost every day. She sighed, seeing Dylan's expression. "Look, Allie, we both know you need a little break-"

"Since when?" Allie half-shouted. Bonnie knew better than anyone that if somebody needed help - Allie would be the first person there, never showing signs of tiredness or the like. Seeing this as unfair, Allie couldn't help but feel the anger coursing through her veins. She hated it when people saw her unfit to do something. She wanted to try and do the thing to her best possible abilities. Looking after her brother - which, until now, she felt she had done well - fell under the category of those things.

"Because, you've got your crime lab and Dylan and-"

"Whoa, are you trying to tell me that I can't manoeuver both?"

"I wasn't finished-"

"Neither was I!"

As the two's voices rose, Dylan started to feel a whole lot worse. He thought on getting up and trying to calm them down, but when you're in a wheelchair and have a sore throat - he figured - you couldn't exactly do much for the situation.

"Guys Guys, whoa!" He tried shouting but it only came out slightly raspy.

"Okay, just wait and tell me the _real_ reason why you're taking him!" Allie frowned. From starting out a great day, it seemed to progressively get worse. Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"Maybe I just want one of my kids back!"

"We're here and you know it! You could see us any time yet Carl!" Allie threw her hands up in the air. "Do you know what everybody said when you two were just engaged, Mom?" Her voice got softer and quieter, and she felt herself calming down. She hate fighting with anybody...not that this counted as a fight. Allie just wanted the truth out of her mother. Bonnie folded her arms and bit her lip.

"No."

"They said you were just in it for Carl's money." Allie looked at her feet. Maybe this was taking it a bit too far just to get the truth. Although...there was definitely something strange about Bonnie's behaviour.

"Maybe I am!" Bonnie covered her mouth, instantly regretting saying it. Dylan rolled his eyes, taking himself off lock and reversing out of the room...way too much drama for his brain to handle. "Oh, my God... Allie...you know I didn't mean that..." Bonnie spoke slowly, careful not to trip over her words again. Allie stood agape for a few seconds.

"All right." She ran her hand over her neck, clearing her throat. "I'm gonna get a drink and then I'm getting a shower...I expect you'll be here when I come back?"

"Actually, our taxi's on it's way. The plane leaves in an hour and a half. You can visit us anytime you like." Bonnie pulled her hair out of it's scrunchie. "Please don't feel any pressure."

Bonnie left the room, with Allie standing there stupidly not knowing what sort of retort to use.

"Allie?" Dylan sped into Allie's room and saw her standing beside her drawer folding clothes. She turned round and smiled.

"Hey, Dylan... you all packed up?"

"Yeah." He ran his finger along the top of one of his wheels. "So, do you mind if I go with mom?"

Allie hesitated a moment before replying. "I don't think so. I mean, I'll be fine and you'll enjoy yourself. Mom's lonely and Carl's got a game-boy or two." She smiled. "Do you mind going?"

"Well," He shrugged. "Yeah. Kinda. Did you know it's nearly time for camping? I'll really miss that."

"Maybe I could come and visit you in Miami on my holidays. Then we could go camping somewhere really posh instead of, uh, the backyard."

Dylan sniggered. "Okay, taxi's waiting..." Allie walked over to Dylan with her arms wide open and hugged him.

"Be good...don't do drugs, don't join a cult and _do not_ make friends with hooligans."

"Anything else?"

"Shouldn't be. Oh! Keep an eye out for Carl's daughter...she seems conniving." Allie winked and pushed Dylan out of the room and into the living room where Bonnie was stood glaring at herself in the mirror.

"Allie, dear, I want to give you this, just to explain myself and my actions. I really trust you with Dylan and you've done a great job with him. But I do have responsibilities as a mother and it's not fair letting you deal with them. Besides," She lean over to her daughter and hugged her. "You can have him back in two years!"

Allie laughed. "Gee, thanks. Anyway, go on and have fun and, Mom?"

"Mm?"

"I'm sorry for shouting at you earlier. You did kinda deserve it though."

"Charming, dear. Now, we've gotta go. Bye-bye." Bonnie kissed her daughter goodbye and Dylan waved to Allie until she was out of sight from the car.

After shouting out several 'goodbyes' and 'take cares', Allie sighed and walked herself back into the house. Now she was all alone in a gigantic house, save for the dog, which Frank would probably call dibs on. Besides, Allie knew Dylan would be wrought with worry over Rufus/Gus and that Frank would be a much better carer than herself.

Three empty rooms and a study that needed a re-vamp. Suddenly, it seemed full of potential.

**A/N: Hi all! Sorry for the lack of updates and whatnot...**

**Please R&R!!! Reviewers will get cookies ;)**


	22. Chapter TwentyOne

1Ch. 21

Waking up the next morning and not having to kick Dylan out of his bed was a truly foreign concept to Allie. Especially as that had been about all she'd done for the last three years. She woke up, stretched and yawned and then slipped into her pink-fluffy slippers. She walked down the hall a little and knocked on Dylan's door, only to discover, ta-dah!, he's not there anymore. Allie laughed to herself and shook her head. Another thing she would have to get used to. Lying in front of her living room door was Rufus. On hearing Allie's footsteps, he looked up at her, eyes filled with hope, only for that hope to be quashed several seconds later when he realised that it was not Dylan. Allie frowned at him.

"Thanks, _Rufus_. Nice reception." She grumbled, sarcastically.

She then opened the cupboard and pulled out two bowls, rolled her eyes and set one back. She poured three handfuls of Cheerios into the bowl and plopped half a jug of milk from her fridge. Generally, Allie would sit at the counter and talk nonsense to Dylan for a little while, but today she opted for some morning TV. Her two best options were E!News and General Hospital. She went for the latter as she finished her cereal. She glanced at her watch; 8:22AM. Her phone buzzed on her coffee table. A text from Dylan. She grinned.

'_Hey, Al.' _

'_**Hi. How'd it go?**_'

'_Fine.'_

'_**Good. Did you tell Frank you were leaving, BTW?' **_

Allie waited for about ten minutes before she got a reply.

'_Forgot. Gotta go now bye.' _

Allie widened her eyes. How on earth could he have forgotten to tell Dylan? She sighed, getting up and walked back to her bedroom. Seeing as she didn't have anything better to do tonight, she may as well work overtime. She headed for the shower, got dressed, fed Rufus and exited the house as fast as she could to escape Frank or even Diane, whom she knew walked past her house on the way to school and work.

"Allie!"

Allie stopped in her tracks. Too late. She swivelled round on her heel.

"Hey, Frank."

"How's it going?" Frank walked closer to her until he could rest himself against the wall at the end of Allie's garden.

"Great, thanks." She muttered. "Where's your mom?"

"Sick. 24 hour virus, according to the Doc." Frank smiled. "She's taken to her bed with the true movies channel."

"Ah. Well, I've gotta go...nearly late for work. Bye-"

"Wait...where's Dylan?"

Allie mumbled under her breath. She really shouldn't have bothered watching the first twenty minutes of General Hospital. "He's, uh," She cocked her head to the side. "Busy. Sorry, Frank...really have to go now..." Allie started rushing to her car door. Frank furrowed his brows. "Could I come over later, say eight-ish?"

"Sure. We'll be in. Except my dad. Bowling." He stated, matter-of-factly. Allie nodded.

"Oh. Well, I'll see you later."

"Later."

Allie got in her car and turned on the radio. Otis Redding. 'Pain in my Heart'.

"Ah...good old Otis." She said, turning it up and singing as loud as she could.

Three-and-a-half hours later, in the lab, Sara, Grissom, Nick and Allie were standing peering through the microscope. Allie grinned at the three of them, hoping for a positive reply from them. After Nick, Sara finished looking through the lens. She smirked at Allie, who could barely contain herself, while Grissom took over the 'scope. Nick smiled feebly towards Allie's direction. Grissom cleared his throat and looked up. His normally serious expression changed the second he looked into the young tech's eyes.

"Well, Allison." He said, removing his spectacles. Allie held her breath. "You just broke the case." Allie squealed excitedly - clapping her hands, also - before running over to Nick, who was nearest to her, and flinging herself into his arms. He laughed.

"Thanks, Al."

"Oh, absolutely no problems!" She mumbled into his chest. Thanks to a small clump of hair found between the side door of the latest arsonist crime scene, Allie managed to match it directly to Annika Freyman, a hairdresser from Henderson. Brass, Warrick and Nick had interviewed her four days previous. All of them concurred that she was too shifty for her own good.

"Congrats, Allie." Sara half-hugged Allie, grinning widely. Grissom, not one known for major signs of affection, tapped Allie on the shoulder.

"Good work, Allison." He smiled.

"Not me, Grissom. DNA profiling." Allie glanced at her nails, head feeling slightly-inflated. She sighed, getting back to normal. She'd never been majorly involved in a case before - usually Greg did most of the work - so this was a real confidence-booster for her.

"Anyway, I gotta go tell Greg." She got her bag and hurried for the door, then hesitated for a minute. "Yeah. Greg. Bye, all."

Nick, Sara and Grissom said their goodbyes as Allie flounced out. Sara smiled, stretching out against the counter.

"I guess someone had better go and call Brass, have him arrest Freyman."

Nick looked up.

"Grissom?"

"Give me five minutes, and I'll be back." Grissom waltzed off into the corridor in search of a phone. Nick turned his attention to Sara.

"So...you and Grissom, huh..." He muttered. Sara's eyes nearly fell out of her head. Surely she hadn't heard him right?

"What about...me and, uh, Grissom?" She spoke slowly, careful not to mince her words.

Nick rubbed his face and pulled a seat over for Sara.

"You seemed kind of..." He wrinkled his nose. "Friendly, the other day. _Before_ you got sick. Any ideas why that is, Sara?"

Sara blinked, swallowing the large lump in her throat. "No. I'm not so sure I'm with you, here, Nick."

"Come _on_, I saw you two the other day!" Nick beamed. Sara went numb. Somehow, she couldn't see that Nick was happy for her.

"I..."

Nick frowned, seeing Sara's extremely upset expression. He threw his hands up.

"Wait, did I say something? I didn't mean..."

"No, seriously, Nick, it's fine...just..." Sara started gathering her things up from under the desk. Tears began to form at the back of her eyes. "Just...I have to, uh, okay..."

"Whoa, whoa, hold the phone." Nick walked up to Sara and placed his hand on her back. "I didn't mean, that...I think it's great."

"Really?" Sara blinked, and a stray tear fell out of her eye, landing on her shoulder.

"Of course. You and Grissom..." He nodded, raising his eyebrow. "I mean, you just don't get a better team."

Sara grinned, wiping the corner of her eye. "Thanks. But, uh, we're not...I don't think we are, anyway."

With that said, she headed for the door, giving Nick a pitiful smile. "Just, don't tell anyone. Please?"

Nick nodded, frowning. "All right, Sara."

Sara nodded, finally out in the corridor. She was right, coming back to the lab was a seriously stupid mistake.

Or was it?

**A/N**: Please R&R! Sorry for the lack of updates...hope you liked. Thought we needed some GSR :)


	23. Chapter TwentyTwo

1Ch. 22

"Will you _put_ that down, please? I actually kind of need it." Hodges snarked at Allie, who was sitting playing with a small tube filled with DNA. The question was...who's DNA? Allie rolled her eyes.

"Jeez, calm down. As if I'm about to contaminate it."

"Well, I would rather not take that risk." He raised his eyebrows, shaking his head. "Anyway, shouldn't you be off buying more clutter with Sanders?"

"I decided to come into work today. No point in milling about." She stated, twirling a strand of her dark-chocolate-brown hair. Hodges smirked, halting his work for a split second.

"Oh...that's right. Your brother left you, didn't he?" There was a major hint of sarcasm in Hodges voice and Allie knew a snide hurtful comment was on it's way any second now. She stood up.

"Actually, he's only gone for a little while. By the way, how _is _your brother?"

Allie knew rightly that Hodges' brother was a majorly successful businessman that never called home and whom hadn't spoken to his brother in five years. Hodges shuddered.

"Yeah, you can dish it but you really are very bad at taking it, Hodges." Allie grinned, and she was sure she saw a faint smile play on his lips.

"Okay...I have thirty-eight more minutes and then either you or Sanders can take over - either way, I don't care."

"Nice. I'm gonna go and chat to Greg. Then _I'll_ take over." Allie patted Hodges on the shoulder - a gesture that always made him shrug away from her - and waltzed out.

In the lab, Allie plugged the CD player on and started playing some HelloGoodbye for a little change. Greg came in, holding two cups of coffee. He smiled and held one out for Allie, who accepted it with a nod.

"Hey...there are - I think - two samples of blood over there with your name on them...pretty please?" She turned round and flashed a broad smile at him. He bobbed his head from side to side.

"Great." He took a sip of coffee and placed it away from all the DNA samples and whatnots. "Dylan call yet?"

"Nope. He texted. Guess what?" She shrieked. Greg nodded his head curiously. Allie threw her hands into the air. "Bet friend in the whole world? Never told him he was leaving. Never told his doctor, teacher - nothing. I have to do all that later. He just left!"

"Wow."

"I know! I mean, it'd be fine if they weren't that close, but."

"No, I mean-"

"And another thing - I bet it was in intentional. He's never been good with goodbyes..."

"Allie-"

"But I mean, Frank! _Frank_. Even I'd tell Frank. He's like a kid brother to me now. _And_ to Dylan. Man, I swear-"

"_Allie!_" Greg half shouted, cutting Allie off mid-speech. He was facing the door.

"What?" Allie followed his gaze. Standing outside - in cuffs - against the front desk, was Eric Moore, Allie's dad. She squinted. "Aw, man." She shot up out of her chair and ran into the hall. Greg followed a short couple of seconds later.

"I'm telling you, he _grabbed me_! It was only fair that I-"

"Dad? What is going on here?" Allie's eyes were widened and her voice was cracked. Greg furrowed his brows. Eric turned round. He was around six-foot-tall, losing his dark hair and had green-blue eyes. He frowned.

"Well, I was out on the Strip and this guy-"

"What guy?" Allie placed her hands on her hips and spoke slowly and sternly.

"Just...a guy." Eric shrugged. Allie rolled her eyes. "And then he came up to me and started all this, well...never mind hat it's about..."

"There are a _lot_ of gaps in this story, Father, and I strongly _hope_ and _pray_ that you are going to sit down - right now - and tell me the honest truth before I slap it out of you."

Eric and Greg, both utterly stunned by Allie's rant, looked at the floor. Eric nodded, turning back to Judy. "I'm gonna sit down for a moment."

"But, Sir, you can't." Judy stood up to stop Eric from going any farther.

"Then he'll stand, Judy." Allie looked over her father's shoulder. "Now. Story."

"Allie, maybe you should calm down a little." Greg walked up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She sighed.

"Alright. Dad, I have more things to process and _then_ I'll be back." She pointed her finger right in his face and flounced back into the lab, Greg's hand in her own.

"You okay, Al?" Greg asked, politely. Allie sighed and rubbed her face.

"Yeah. I just...I worry, you know. He's on his own and he's never been arrested. Why is he arrested?" She turned to face Greg, her face filled with innocence and naivety. He shrugged.

"I could, uh, ask Judy - I-if you want." For some reason, Angry-Allie intimidated Greg a little.

She smiled. "That'd be great. Thank you." She then nodded and smiled, settling back into her seat.

"Hey, Judy." Greg bounced over to the reception desk and smiled at Judy. She took her glasses off and beamed.

"Hello, Gregory. How may I help you?"

"Oh, uh, I was just wondering what Allie Moore's dad has been brought in for. Maybe you could tell me?" He examined his fingers. Judy's face fell twelve feet into the ground.

"I'm sorry, Greg, I'd love to, but policy says-"

"Policy says a lot. And you are the most loyal policy-keeper that I have ever seen. So I'm thinkin' that you could just bend it a little for me. Please?"

"Well..." She looked around and put her glasses back on. She opened her book and flicked a couple of pages back. "Vandalism and suspected assault, but Ecklie says we're not gonna charge because Ms. Moore is one of our three finest lab technicians and he'd be loathe to offend her." She spoke fast and immediately threw her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my gosh - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have told you that. Oh, man...please don't tell Mr. Ecklie! I might be fired."

Greg tapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Your secret is 100 with me." He winked and he could've sworn he saw her blush beneath her spectacles. "Thanks."

Allie had finished processing everything Catherine had told her to by the time Greg got back. She checked her watch. 7:45PM. Another fifteen minutes. Greg entered the lab again.

"Hey there." She smirked.

"Aloha." He exhaled, taking a swift seat beside her. "Okay, vandalism and suspected assault - but," He pointed a finger at Allie to shush her. "Ecklie says he's not going to charge because you're his favourite lab-rat."

"He never said that."

"Well, second favourite. Anyway, your dad's in the holding room."

"Sweet. Hey, I'm off now, but...do you wanna go to the cinema later? Say, ten-thirty..."

"Sure. I'll pick you up. But, ten-thirty?"

"Yep. That okay? I've got a thing to take care of first."

"No problem." Greg stretched and Allie walked up, stood on her tip-toes and kissed him on the cheek.

"See you later."

**A/N: Hi all! Hope you liked the chapter...didn't take too long to write so it's probably dreadful. R&R!**


	24. Chapter TwentyThree

1Ch. 23

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Upon getting into the holding room, Allie saw Sara sitting down, drinking a coffee with her father. She smirked, setting her bag down and clearing her throat. Sara stood up and allowed Allie to sit.

"Thanks." Allie muttered.

"Hey, no problem. Your dad here was, uh, telling me about your tenth birthday party." Sara grinned, hands on hips. Allie blushed.

"Oh, he didn't _have_ to. And he really shouldn't...anyway, I'll take over for a minute, Sara and then he's all yours."

"The pleasure is definitely all mine." Eric piped in before Sara could say a word. Sara laughed, and Allie rolled her eyes, sitting down and plopping her bag beside her. Sara waved goodbye and snaked out of the room.

"So...Assault and vandalism." Allie yawned. "Let's have a little chat about that."

"Okay, this guy-"

"Has a name, I presume?"

"Alan Mercury. It's not his real name."

"Okay. Go on."

"Alan Mercury is a pig. He said I didn't put his floorboards down properly..."

"Did you?"

"Of course! He gave me cheap-ass flooring to work with. Useless stuff. Cups at the sight of water. Anyway, he told me, no, wait..._ordered_ me to re-do his floor and I said no, I refuse. Long story shortened - he holds a grudge like no one I know."

"And the fight, Dad...what's that all about?"

"You know I hate it when you're the parent."

"Yep. I know."

"So I was buying an engine today at the auto shop - did I tell you about the car I'm fixing?"

Allie shook her head. "Alfa Romeo. Beauty. And then Alan came out from the bar beside it and started cussin' and stuff, then he grabbed me. I must've toppled over and crashed into a stand."

"Vandalism? That's just clumsiness."

"Actually, I broke the window."

"Ah."

"Then he punched me and so I punched him. On the arm, though."

Allie noticed her father's right eye a funky shade deeper than usual. "I see."

"Sorry, Allie. The girl at the desk said I have to give a DNA sample."

"Yeah, we just need some saliva. Here..." She produced a cotton swab from her bag and handed it to him. "Just rub this against the wall of your mouth."

Eric did so and then popped it in the plastic container above it. "Thanks..."

Allie went up to him and hugged him.

"Don't worry about it. You'll be out tomorrow. I've gotta go. My brother seems to have had a misplaced sense of judgement before he left."

"I heard. You gonna tell him?"

"I'll have to. Anyways...I love you." She kissed him on the top of his head and said goodbye.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

It was a chilly night, and Allie predicted rain. The nights were getting darker and the moon seemed to light up the back garden. She opened her door and shoved her things onto the floor. Not venturing into the house, she took her fluffy red coat and shut the door, locking it behind her. She started strolling down the drive, thanking the lord that her road was a quiet one. Her house was only a few blocks away from Frank's house. Four minutes later, she was on their doorstep. She rang the bell.

"Hello?" Diane answered the door in a sing-song voice. She was wearing a fluffy pink bathrobe and matching slippers. Her blonde hair was in rollers. "Allie! How are you, dear?"

"Hi...I'm good, thanks. Is, uh, Frank about?"

"Surely...I'll get him now...Frank?" She shouted. Allie placed a finger over her right ear. Diane was not best known for her quietness and gentle manner. Although polite, she could sometimes be a tad abrupt. Allie laughed.

"Frank James?"

"Coming, Mom! Jeez, oh...Hello Allie." He ran down the stairs. His dark hair was shorter than usual. His piercing dark-blue eyes were fixed on Allie. She smiled at him.

"Hey, Frank..."

"No Dylan?" Diane intercepted. Allie frowned.

"That's actually why I'm here."

"Well, come in!" Frank jumped off the last two steps and nearly pounced on Allie, taking hold of her arm and leading her into the house. Frank was a lot taller than Allie, Diane and Dylan.

"Thanks, Frank!" Allie laughed, sitting beside him on the sofa. Diane swanned into the kitchen and put the kettle on.

"So...where is he, then?" Frank started, flicking a tiny bit of fringe out of his eye. His light-purple - but not lilac - shirt went extremely well with his features, Allie noted.

"He's, uh, in Miami." Instantly, Allie regretted the way she broke the news to him. May as well slap him across the face with a wet fish.

"What?" Diane shrieked from the kitchen. Also, she was blessed with sonic-hearing. Allie nodded. "Well, he never said."

Frank looked as though someone had just chopped off his left arm without permission.

"But..." Frank stared straight ahead. Allie knew whenever he was given bad news, he would go off into a world of his own and then, purely for his mother's sake, bounce back into his jovial, chatty self - even when he didn't want to.

"Frankie, I'm sorry. He was in a hurry. I think he maybe wanted to but couldn't really. He isn't great with goodbyes, you know. I'm sorry, dude."

"I can't believe he'd do that."

Diane sat beside Frank and hugged him. "You should call him-"

"Hey, he can phone you." Allie hugged his other side. "Anyway, he'll be back."

Frank smiled. "It's cool. Do you want some coffee Allie?" Frank stood up and went to the fireplace. Generally Diane kept her fire blazing warm; tonight was one of those nights.

"No thanks, I'm going to the cinema later." She nodded, checking the time. 9:43PM. Diane scowled.

"Greg Sanders perhaps?"

Allie bit her lip.

"Yes."

"Ah. Well, we wont keep you. Thanks for letting us know, though."

"No problem. How would you two like to come over tomorrow...dinnertime?"

"We'd love that, thanks Allie!" Frank bounded past his mother. Allie smiled and hugged them both, feeling a sense of contentment, even though she would've stayed longer if she could.

"Delightful. See you soon. Night Peeps."

With Frank and Diane standing at the door, Allie went back to her house.

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A/N: Slightly abrupt, I feel. Nevertheless, I hope you all enjoyed this chappie. Please R&R! Have a great rest of the day.

JauntyChick

PS: There's something wrong with my page breaks...I don't think they show up on the net, but I have a lot of wee O's after every half-chapter-thing. Maybe it's just my computer :


	25. Chapter TwentyFour

1Ch. 24

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Ten-thirty approached a lot sooner than Allie had wanted it to. Her hair was half-curled and her dress had shrunk in the washing machine. She frowned, untangling her necklace from another one. Then the doorbell rang. She cursed under her breath as Rufus started barking at the letterbox.

"Hey! Come on, dog...out of the way." She answered the door to Greg standing with a paper and a small bunch of flowers. He smiled. "Real white roses, huh? I'm more than a little impressed." She ran her fingers through her straight-side of hair.

"Yeah, I figured I may as well, seeing as we've never really had a proper date." He handed her the roses and walked onto her welcome mat. Allie fidgeted with her dressing-gown and shut the door.

"Thanks...uh, I'll be ready in a few minutes." She coughed.

Greg studied her. Her fluffy light-blue dressing-gown accentuated the tanned glow in her skin and the dark twinkle in her eyes. She looked him in the eye. "Greg?" She waved a hand in front of his face.

"Yeah?"

"Nothing...you kinda zoned out on me there." Allie laughed. Greg winked at her.

"Sorry. Won't happen again."

Allie eyed him suspiciously and then waltzed into her bathroom. "So, anything new?"

She shouted from the other room. Greg sat down on the couch next to a newly nestled-down Rufus. He spotted a Kerrang! Magazine and started reading it.

"Nope. Got my car booked in for next week. I'm off. You?"

"Uh...my dad told me what happened. He didn't do anything." She hesitated a moment before continuing. "Then again." She smirked. "I'm biased."

Greg laughed. "So, what are we seeing?"

"Um... You pick."

Greg flicked through the paper. He had wanted to go and see a horror, but figured Allie would prefer to see some sort of chick flick. "Hairspray?"

"Huh?"

"Hairspray. John Travolta-"

"No, no...I know, but what are you doing picking Hairspray? I would've thought Disturbia was more your scene."

"Oh. You wanna see that?"

"Mm...any other horrors?"

Greg grinned. It was almost as if she could read his mind. "Uh, Children Of The Corn?"

"1, 2 or 3?"

"Oh. 666."

"Ooh. No."

"Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?"

"Yes!" Allie walked out of the bathroom, hair completely curled and her fringe parted to the left. Her cherry red blouse and black pencil skirt hugged her figure attractively. White sequins covered her peep-toe high-heels. Greg sat, slack-jawed, staring up at her.

"You look..."

"Awful. Stupid hair-curlers packed up on me. Anyway," She sighed, pulling Greg up off the couch and hugging him. "How are you?"

"Great."

"Well, come on." She took his hand and led him to the front door, while lifting her bag off the coat rack. "Rufus!" She shouted to the dog, whose ears perked up. "I shall be back in approximately three hours." The dog barked in response and Allie nodded. Greg saluted the dog.

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Travelling along slowly in the car, Allie put the radio on to Pat Benetar - 'Love is a Battlefield'. Allie shouted gleefully and Greg rolled his eyes.

"Oh! Turn it up! I _love_ this song!" She started banging her hands against the steering wheel. She twisted the volume up to eighteen. Greg poked his finger inside his ear. Allie laughed.

"Allie!"

"_We are young!"_

"Allie!"

"You know the words, man! Sing along!"

"_Heartache to heartache, we stand! No promises_ - Take it Sanders!" She shouted above the music, pointing at Greg. He blinked, before swallowing.

"_No demands." _He knew he wasn't much of a singer, but he did hit all the right notes. Allie laughed, stopping when they came to a red light.

"_Love is a battlefield._"She took a swift look at Greg, who was drumming his hands on his legs in time to the music.

He noticed her watching him and started singing again. This time, they sang together.

"_When you're losing control...will you stand in my way...or am I the best thing you've had? Believe me, believe me I can't tell you why...but I'm trapped by your love and-_ why'd you stop?"

"I'm a man! Men don't sing along to Pat Benetar with their girlfriends!"

"Oh..." Allie, still bobbing her head with the music, said, not knowing what else she could say. She remembered something and turned the music down. "By the way...wasn't I supposed to be meeting Papa Olaf sometime?"

"Yeah. If you want, I mean...no pressure." Greg smiled. Papa Olaf and Greg were almost the same person. Same taste in films, music, food, people...Greg knew it was unbearably cheesy, but Allie was the absolute double of his grandmother. Myrna Elliot emigrated from America to Norway when she was sixteen, where she met and fell in love with Olaf Hojem. She wasn't skinny, nor was she plump - same as Allie - and she had the same dark hair that looked great no matter what she did to it. The thing that was most similar was the eyes - almost black, with a hint of mischief behind them. Greg remembered a particular picture of his grandmother taken when she was twenty. Allie looked at Greg, who was still daydreaming out of the window.

"Greg?" She asked, softly. Greg turned round to look at her. She noticed a strange expression on his face. It was on of extreme contentment. She laughed. "What's up with you?"

"Oh...nothing. You just reminded me of someone is all. Hodges..." Greg trailed off, staring out of Allie's window. She scowled.

"I remind you of Hodges? What the hell kind of weird compliment is that?" She became slightly hysterical, her voice rising by three octaves.

"No! I didn't mean...Hodges. Over _there_!" He pointed to him sitting outside a hotel, three suitcases sitting beside him. Allie turned her indicators on and drove into the nearest parking space which, thankfully, was just beside Hodges. Allie rolled her window down.

"Yo, Hodges! You okay?"

Hodges looked up, frowning. "What are you and him doing here?"

Allie rolled her eyes. She hated it when Hodges referred to Greg as 'him'. Something about the way he just spat it out so venomously.

"_We_ are going for something to eat. _You_ look kinda-"

"The reason I look '_kinda_', is because now, my weird aunt needs a...a guardian, if you will."

"Oh. I didn't know you had a weird aunt."

"Grindle, I..."

"Grindle - Grissom and Sidle. It's an internet fan-term. At least, I think that's what it'd be."

"Oh." Greg nodded, reminding himself to play this game later. He wondered what he and Allie would be...

"Nope. Nothing. Why?" Allie looked at Hodges through her mirror. He was smirking to himself.

"Oh...Sara seems off, apparently. And, now that you mentioned it, so does Grissom."

"I never..." She suddenly remembered her conversation with Grissom in the break room earlier in the week. "Alright, you little lab-rat." She found a small abandoned parking lot and drove right through them, stopping the car immediately and turning around to look Hodges in the eyes. "What do you know and where the hell were you the other day? Were you spying on me?"

"Not you, no."

"Grissom?!"

"It would appear that way but no. I was actually down behind the sofa looking for my cell phone. I just happened to over-hear-"

"You _were_ spying!" Greg placed his hand on Allie's knee in an attempt to calm her down. In her mind, she was more amused than angry. She laughed. "Hodges!"

"You know something. More than you're letting everyone else know."

"I actually don't, and your ostrich is right over there."

"You do and you're changing the subject."

"I don't and why are we even having this discussion? It's none of our business what Grissom and Sara are doing."

"Or aren't, as the case may be." Greg snuck in there, raising his eyebrows. Allie and Hodges shot him a look and he returned to his window.

"Fine. But I will solve this case before the week is out, Moore."

"Oh, what case, you melodramatic ass?"

"The Grindle case. And did you just call me an ass? That's abuse!"

"Oh, my...this is not a case! You're going home now." Allie sniggered to herself causing Greg to watch her to make sure she wasn't going to shout or cry. Women and their emotions were something he resigned himself to never understanding many years ago. She turned on the ignition and drove to the ostrich, turned left and went up the tremendously long drive leading up to an old, Victorian house - painted pink, no less. There was a large wooden swing outside. Greg figured someone pleasant and eccentric would live in a house like this...so how on earth was someone pleasant and eccentric related to David Hodges?

"Hodges, did you say she was your aunt?"

"No, he said she wasn't his aunt. Hey, if she's not your aunt who is she?"

"She's my mom's aunt's best friend. Only my mom's aunt is dead, so really, I'm all she's got from the Hodges family."

Greg desperately wanted to say 'poor her', until he saw the genuine concern on Hodges' face. He'd always thought of Hodges as a Grissom-esque person; cold-hearted, curt and devoid of emotions. "Well, I guess that's us." Was all he could come up with. Very unlike himself, he decided. Hodges nodded and got out of the car. Allie and Greg exchanged pitied looks. Greg sighed and helped Hodges in with his suitcases before saying goodbye and leaving him at the door. By the time Greg got back, Allie had switched seats, so as Greg could drive instead. "Hey, you."

"Yeah. Hey, you know what, Greg?"

"I..." She looked at her nails and leaned in closer to Greg. "I'm really glad I have you."

Greg leant over and kissed her. "Why thank you, Miss Moore."

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**A/N: ****Hi all! Sorry for the lack of updates...I was away at EuroDisney and now I have some sort of horrible flu-thing. Anyways, that was just a cheesy filler and the next few chapters will be **_**way**_** more exciting. I have a real plot thought up! By the way...what happens in the Season 8 premiere??? I'm Irish, so I haven't a clue what's been going on!**


	26. Chapter TwentyFive

1Ch. _**25**_

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The cinema trip had been fairly uneventful, for one of Greg and Allie's dates. Allie conceded that it had been by far the best. Even the film was enjoyable, and Greg found himself slightly worried about farms and crops now. Allie had to laugh at him.

"Alright...I'm gonna walk home now." Allie closed the back door of her vehicle and walked up to Greg.

"But...it's, uh, you're car."

"Mm. It is, but I only live four minutes away, I love walking and _you_, my dear Sir, have no car. Here's my keys." She dropped a small jingly pile into his hands and he examined her key-ring. It was a picture of her and Dylan outside the Liberace Museum. He smiled.

"Thanks, Allie...I- that's great. Come on, I'll drive you home."

"Four minutes as opposed to your nine and a half. I'll risk it."

"Honestly." He took her hand, lifted her up into his arms and placed her in the passenger side.

"My, God...you really can be pushy can't you?"

"Part of my charm." He winked, and drove off.

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The next day at work, it was beautiful outside. The sun was straining to come through the blinds in the lab and Sara frowned, turning her back to it. She wasn't exactly in a sunshine-y kind of place today. Upon her entrance to the crime lab, all she had gotten was desk-glares and water-cooler-whispers. Then, she managed to get coffee spilt all over herself, by paying too much attention to Grissom as he walked his way into his office. There was no other way to deal with this monster that she had created other than to confront Grissom. She stood up and sighed. She noticed Nick waltzing down the hall. Other than having awkward small-talk, she just avoided him completely by exiting from the other door. She arrived at Grissom's office and looked in. No one was there, yet she wandered in anyway. Hundreds of bugs adorned his bookshelves. Cockroaches, beetles, spiders, slugs, worms - you name, he had it. She picked up a jar with one singular beetle in it. She was sure Grissom had told her about this one before. It's name, though...

"Penny? Uh...Pinky? No." She sighed, setting it back onto the shelf.

"Ringo." Grissom stood at his door, arms folded, expression neutral - as usual - and voice timid. Sara turned round, flustered.

"Ah...I-uh-I...shouldn't be in here. Sorry." She started, barging her way past Grissom.

"I'm surprised you forgot." He grabbed her arm, although not tightly. Sara felt a ripple shoot up her spine. She swallowed, clearing her throat. She mumbled something incoherent which Grissom just ignored. "Sit down a minute, Sara."

"Okay." She sat down, half-smiling. Nerves tumbled around in the pit of her stomach.

There was a horrid silence that hung in the air, while Grissom pinched the bridge of his nose. He took his glasses off and folded them up.

"Some things...are easier to forget than others. Some just stick in your mind. You wish...and hope, that they'd go away but they don't. Do they, Sara?"

"Uh...n-not usually, no." She resisted the urge to call him Sir.

"Mm. The course of true love never did run smooth."

"Shakespeare."

Grissom, smirked, nodding. "Of course. A true master of the classic tragic love story."

"Romeo and Juliet."

Grissom never responded to this. He just glared at the desk. He wanted to ask Sara a particular question, yet he couldn't find the right words. Sara bounded in first and raised her hands up. "Grissom, I am really, really sorry fo my actions. It was a completely stupid thing to do and I-"

"Are you referring to the kiss?"

Sara sighed, slightly relieved. At least he wasn't mad about it. Then again, would he have reason to be mad? "Yes. I'm sorry."

"So you've said."

"Grissom," Sara shifted nervously in her chair. This whole situation annoyed her for some reason. "Aren't you bothered, at all?"

Grissom shook his head, slowly. "No."

"Okay. Great. Well. I, uh, guess I'll go now." She stood up and walked up to Grissom. She felt an extreme urge to hug him, but hesitated a moment before speaking. "I...am going to hug you." With that, she enveloped him in her incredibly long arms. Grissom sighed, smirking to himself. Sara finally pulled away feeling, for the first time in a long time, contented. Grissom nodded and picked up an entomology textbook. His favourite, Sara noted.

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Nick Stokes was peeved. Not only had he worked his only one day off in the week, but he had worked overtime on his only day off in the week. Overtime, mind you, without a lunch break, barely any coffee breaks, and he desperately wanted shower. He sighed, running a hand through his dark, cropped hair. He had allocated an extra twenty minutes of work before someone else took over, so he decided to play about for a while, just to stimulate his brain. He ran a specific set of blood through AFIS, purely out of curiosity. He watched as the machine analyzed them, checking as much other DNA as was possible. Nick always enjoyed watching his process, difficult case or not. Just then, the computer dinged. Nick clicked on the person...the name was familiar but-

"Oh. My God!" Nick printed off the page of information and shot up out of his chair quicker than winkie. He ran down the hall and grabbed hold of Ted, a part-time lab-rat that was more used to the sight of his TV screen than the computer screen. Grissom always wondered why Ecklie had employed him. He told him quickly that it was an emergency and he really had to go. Ted, baffled as usual, bombed right into the lab. Nick got in his Tahoe and drove off.

He flipped open his cell, then remembered he really shouldn't when he was driving. He dialed Allie's number quickly and held the phone up to his ear. Four rings and someone answered.

"Yellow- I mean, uh, Allie Moore."

"Allie! Are you in your house?"

"Yep. Why?"

"Stay right there, I'm on my way."

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Allie had to admit, the phone call was definitely unsettling. Nick had never been to her house during work hours. He'd barely even been there on social visits. Allie started pacing around her living room, then into the kitchen. As soon as she heard the knock at the door, she bounded out and into her hall. She had previously tied her long dark hair into a high ponytail, her fringe parted to one side, hanging over her forehead. She fixed her orange tee-shirt as she opened the door. Nick was stood, grinning like a fool on her doorstep. She frowned.

"This isn't an emergency, right?"

He cocked his head off to the side. "Mm...not really. But it is good."

"How good?"

"Good enough."

Allie smiled and moved over to let Nick walk in. He thanked her and waltzed on in to the sitting room. "Okay, Miss Moore...you're really gonna wanna sit down for this." Nick drawled. Allie rolled her eyes and perched herself on top of the coffee table in front of Nick. She folded her arms, slightly alarmed.

"What's wrong?"

"Okay." Nick inhaled sharply before exhaling heavily. "I was in the lab earlier, matching fingerprints - by the way, case breaker - and I had some spare time before someone could cover me...anyway, long story short - I ran your dad's blood and it's a match to..." He handed Allie the sheet of paper. She maintained eye contact in the form of furrowed eyebrows before she started skimming over the page.

"Whoa..."

"I know."

"Ah...I..."

Nick placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling. "I know."

"But! How... how on - gah!" Allie threw the sheet of paper onto Nick who rolled his eyes and flopped onto the couch. Allie paced the floor in front of her fireplace now, shaking her head. "I don't know how it can be! I mean...I'd know about it, right? Nick? I would, wouldn't I? I would. Course I would! Mom might lie but dad... No. Definitely not." Nick couldn't deny it; Allie was very amusing when she was hysterical. Her voice had risen amazingly high and even from a distance, anybody could see that her hands were shaking. "I'm shocked. Seriously, unbelievably, incredibly..." She let her words hang in the air behind her as she continued walking. Nick furrowed his brows.

"Shocked?"

"Yes!" She shouted, turning to face him on the sofa. "Nicky, man, I seriously can't believe it." She started walking towards the chair, but opted for the seat next to Nick. "I have an uncle. That I didn't even know about."

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A/N: HA! Clifhanger! Sorry dudes...but it _is_ chapter 25, after all. I didn't even think I'd make it to chapter six on this one. Anyway, hope you liked. Four reviews and I'll reveal all. I love Amor's way of thinking :)

JauntyChick

XOX


	27. Chapter TwentySix

Ch. 26 (Allie POV. Will switch back in later chapters. Enjoy ;)

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To say that I was shocked by the information I held in my hand way a little bit of an understatement. I had never had an uncle...let alone this guy. I absolutely couldn't believe it - it was actually beyond comprehension. I glanced up at Nick. His expression was a mix of nerves and hope. I sat down. Nick did the same.

"Allie, do you want something? Are you okay?" He asked soothingly, placing a hand on my arm. I shook my head no. I didn't know what I wanted...I'm sure whatever it was, Nick would not have been able to get it for me.

"No thanks." I managed to stutter out. I wished sometimes that I wouldn't be so clumsy and rush into things. "I'm fine."

"Okay. I have to leave now, cause I'm on a break...give me a call if you need anything. And don't worry! It'll be fine." He stood up, smiling. I nodded.

"I know. I just...wow." I spoke as though someone had sucked the life force out of me. Truth be told, I kinda felt that way. The whole week hadn't gone the way I would have liked. But, hey...I figured I'd try my 'Pollyanna approach', for a while. My mom always used to compare me and Pollyanna. Nothing alike except for our sunny dispositions.

"Well, I'll send someone over later." Nick said, running a hand through his hair. I knew he worried about me, but this was ridiculous.

"Nicky...honestly, I'm fine. I-I, uh, I have to buy something." I stood up and took a hold of Nick's arm. I wasn't aware I did this until we got to the front door. I grabbed my jacket - didn't match along with anything else I was wearing, mind you - and opened the front door. Nick look confused. I just wanted to go and buy something...Ice cream, to be precise. "You wanna come with me?"

"Uh...well, I have work...why don't you ask a neighbour...there's Frank!" Nick pointed towards my drive at a skinny boy wearing light-blue skinny-jeans and a green tee. His hair was dark, spiky and his fringe was slightly too long. His facial features were strong and kind. In his hand was an MP3 Player. He smiled and waved at me. I waved back, swallowing.

"Hey, guys! I was just on my way up to see you, Al...what's crackin' Nick?" He asked, his voice merry as always. I always enjoyed Frank's visits.

"Good, thanks, bro. How're you?" Nick asked, punching him lightly in the arm. I imagined Nick's punches wouldn't be too gentle, though.

"Great. I watched three movies today. Awesome or what!" He grinned. Oh, yeah...he loves the word awesome. And radical. Teenagers, huh?

"Yeah. Anyway, man...you have to look after Allie for a while when I'm at work. She's had a shock recently." Nick smiled at me. Frank instantly went into panic mode.

"Oh, my gosh - Allie, are you alright? Is it Dylan?" He furrowed his brows in a concerned way. I've never understood how people can look concerned one second after being bouncy with happiness. Changing your expression in a flash. Curious...

"Yeah, yeah...we're both really fine." I laughed. "He says hello. I think he misses you."

"Nah. Probably on his laptop since he got there. Got an e-mail."

"Ah."

"Sorry, guys...I really have to split. Allie, take care, alright? Don't worry about anything." Nick patted me on the arm, hesitated a moment and pulled me into a gigantic hug. It really took me by surprise. I'm also sure I heard Frank tut or something.

"Thank you, Nick." I smiled as he walked away. He got into his car and I shut the door behind myself. I sighed and pulled Frank into a hug.

"How you been, Frankie?"

"Good...are you alright? I mean, health-wise and stuff?" He frowned again. I nodded.

"Oh, yeah...I guess I'll have to tell you. So..."

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An hour later, myself and Frank were sitting in the park eating ice-cream. I told you I had to buy some. I had explained to Frank the most part of my story...just the rest of it was still giving me problems.

"So, the Mead guy denied having anything to do with the tree? Why?"

"You're asking me. Anyway, me and Greg left and then we sort of gave up on him until this evening. Nick was working late and, uh, he ran my dad's blood and it turns out seven alleles in common."

"Brothers?"

"Yep. Weird isn't it?"

"It is."

"You should tell your Greg."

"He isn't my Greg." I said, curtly. It always bothered me when people said that you owned somebody...or were owned by them. How infuriating. I finished my ice-cream and disposed of the wrapper. Frank was still eating away so I just sat back down. He smiled at me and then looked at his watch.

"Oh, I forgot to say...we won't be able to come over for dinner later! Man, that's why I came for a visit. Yeah, anyway...mom and dad are going out later and I have band practice, so." He bobbed his head about the place. Generally he wore a hat but it must've been too warm.

"That's okay. We'll try for tomorrow. You could still come over, though after band practice if you're hungry."

"Nah, that's okay. I have cheesy stuff that I made yesterday. Don't wanna impose. It'd be rude."

"Not really...if you _stole_ my food, then that would be considered rude." I smirked at him. He took he last bite of his ice-cream and shoved the trash in his pocket. I was actually surprised that he could fit anything in them. Skinny-jeans were too tight for my liking.

"When are you going to tell your dad about Jimmy Mead?" He asked, completely out of the blue. I frowned. I honestly didn't know what I was going to do about it all. I'd have to tell dad, then we'd go to meet Jimmy...his family. Assuming he had one, of course.

"Later on, probably." It was 6:49PM, so I figured sometime tomorrow would be acceptable. Plus, he was still in jail. I'd have to go into work on my day off again. Not that I really minded...

"Sweet. Anyway, I better get going, Allie. Mom's going out at seven." He said, sighing dramatically.

"Well, get in the car."

"It's only a five minute walk..."

"I don't care. Car. Oh, and Frank?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks for un-traumatising me."

"Anytime, toots."

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After dropping Frank off at his house, chatting to Diane and getting back in my car, I decided to for-go going my to my house and just flounce straight into the lab. When I got there, Judy had left already and, as per usual, Stephanie wasn't there yet, so I had to go to Grissom's office. His office always intrigued me. You would never be bored in a place like that, I think. He was reading his book about fire-ants. I had actually read several pages of it in the break-room once...much as I don't like to admit it, it was good. I knocked before I opened the door.

"Hello Allison." He greeted without looking up. It really freaked me out when he did that. He knew it, too. I decided to let it go today, however.

"Hi Grissom." I sat in the chair opposite him. He took off his glasses and dumped them on the desk. I sat quietly for a while, reading a paper on his desk.

"Are you alright?" He asked, eyebrow raised. I nodded. He confused me a lot.

"Yep, thanks."

"Brother okay?"

"Oh, yeah."

"Brothers leg?" He smiled. I laughed.

"Healing nicely, as a matter of fact."

"How does he like Miami?"

"Seems to, from what I've heard. Not...that I've heard much. He's obviously got a hectic schedule or something."

"Ah."

"Know what I don't get? DNA. Sure, I work with it but, I mean..."

"Is there something bothering you?" He reached over the table and touched my arm. I wanted to flinch at first but I didn't.

"Jimmy Mead." I muttered. Grissom withdrew his hand.

"Jimmy who?"

"Jimmy Mead." I repeated. Grissom shot me a curious look.

"Me and Greg were out in the woods a while back. Picnic, you know." I smiled. "I saw an indentation on the tree and I-" Que a knock at the door. I swivelled round. It was Catherine. Her hair was curly today. She was wearing a low-cut, green sleeveless top and plain blue jeans. Grissom motioned for her to come in.

"Go on, Allison." He stated. Catherine adopted a worried look.

"Everything okay? Should I come back?" She threw up her hands. I shook my head.

"She's telling me something about Jimmy Mead."

"Who's Jimmy Mead?" Catherine asked, loudly. The next thing I knew, Greg waltzed on in.

"What about Jimmy Mead?" He asked, eyebrows high in the air.

"Well, we're all trying to figure that out if you would all let Allison continue." Grissom raised his voice an iota. We all turned round to look at him. Catherine shot me a 'Jeez, what's up with him' sort of face. I smiled.

"Anyway, the indentation said that his name was Jimmy Mead, he was eleven and it was 1956. Come find me, basically. So I did." I stole a glance at Greg. "We did."

"Allie, honey, he could be dead." Catherine said, frowning.

"Oh, he isn't." Greg told her, smirking. Grissom shooshed them both.

"I'm sorry Grissom, but I used the system to try and locate him." I looked at my lap. Grissom smiled.

"That's okay. Go on with the story."

"I narrowed it down to three, and we visited them. Then- you tell it Greg."

"Huh?" He asked. I motioned for him to continue the story. "Oh, right. Yeah, so we got hold of the first two - nada. The third guy-"

"Is Jimmy Mead!" I butted in. I couldn't just contain myself. Greg glared at me.

"Yeah, could be. Except the fact he vehemently denies any contact with the name." Greg finished.

We all looked at Grissom for a response. He started chewing on his glasses' leg.

"Gil?" Catherine egged him on. He nodded.

"That's quite a conundrum, Allison." Was all he said. I mentally kicked him. It really bugged me when he did that...that thing he did. I looked at the floor and rolled my eyes. "I think you should explain this to your father. Then confront Mead."

I was stunned. Grissom didn't seem like a confrontational sort of guy to me. But I did agree about telling dad. I actually had to. "Thank you, Grissom." I said, standing up.

"Allie, can I talk to you for a sec?" Catherine smiled at me. Grissom stood up.

"Wait, why are you all here again?" He asked, scratching his head.

"I-" I started but was quickly shut down by Grissom.

"No, no...you wanted to ask me about Jimmy Mead. These two-" He pointed to Greg and Catherine. "I don't understand."

"I came here for a lab assistant. She's one." She pointed to me. "So's he." She slapped Greg on the back, causing him to wince.

"Catherine, I'm sorry. I'll say it again...I'm sorry!" Greg turned round to face her. She laughed.

"Greg, I'm not mad...seriously!" She patted him on the shoulder. I looked at Grissom, who looked back at me. Both of us were utterly confused.

"What's going on here?" Sara was stood at the door now. Leave Greg to leave it open for other to people to hear every bit of gossip we could get. For some reason, we all looked at Greg. He shrugged.

"I spilled juice on Catherine. I thought she was mad." He mumbled. Even when he mumbled, he still didn't irritate me.

"I was. Earlier. I'm not now. As you can plainly see." She smiled, looking up at Greg.

"Oh, I was here to see why Allie and Catherine were in here." He waved his hand at Grissom, who was staring intently at Sara.

"I was in the, uh, lab. Looking for Allie." Sara explained.

"I was off today."

"I heard." She put her hands in her jeans' pockets.

"Uh...could we...talk?"

"Surely, we could." I stood up, standing right next to Greg. He pulled me into a hug and kissed me on the cheek. Subtle, huh? "Oh..." I laughed. Room full of people, he decides to show affection. Not that I minded... Anyway, as me and Sara walked down the corridor to the exit, it was clear she was distressed. Question was: Why?

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A/N: Hello there! Sorry for the long wait...hope you're not all too disappointed with the DNA thingy. Cliche, I know. But it got me out of the hard place between the rock. Also, I'd like to apologise for the confusion of switching to first person narrative, but I hated the original chapter twenty-six, so I re-wrote it. This one annoys me a lot less. Also I had some hideous gastric flu going on. Eugh. 2, 122 words in the story, by the way. I'm uberly pleased! Anyway, please R&R...four reviews and I will update. I should have used this blackmail a LONG time ago! Hope you liked and that I didn't mess up too badly with the first person narration. Have a great rest of the day, JauntyChick XOX. PS: If anybody wishes to read chapter twenty-six (the alternative, of course!) Please send me an e-mail or request it in a review. 154 words in the A/N not including these...wowza! R&R thanks!


	28. Chapter TwentySeven

1Ch. 27 (Still Allie POV. Enjoy :)

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So, Sara pulled me into her car, which was decidedly odd. Then the conversation was decidedly odder. She cleared her throat, and I did my very best not to plug myself into the seat belt thing.

"What..." She mumbled really quietly, and I wasn't even too sure if she actually said anything at first. Then she went on. "What would you do if you loved someone, but...you couldn't do anything about it?" She spoke softly, staring out of her window. I swallowed. My whole mouth actually felt dry with nerves. I was afraid she'd ask me something like this...well, about her and Grissom.

"Uh, I'd...I-I'd probably...try and sort out the reason why I couldn't do anything about it." Excellent, Allie. Good save.

"Huh. Okay, say...say he's..." She threw her hands up, searching for the words.

"You work with him?" I tried, hoping to spare her a little embarrassment. She nodded slowly.

"Uh, okay. Okay, he's your co-worker. Not a problem for you, obviously..." She looked at me, hopefully.

"Right. I would...what would I do...um...let's see...uh..." Oh, my Gosh, my own words astounded me. Poor Sara, I thought. She looked really downtrodden. "I'd throw caution to the wind, screw the difficulties - tell him I love him." Bad idea, Allie. Very. Very. Bad idea! I could've screamed.

"Oh..." She smirked. Did I do something right here?

"Oh? Is it a good oh?"

"Uh, yes. Allie, it's a very, _very_ good oh." She smiled full beam now. I relaxed marginally. She opened her door.

"Sara, wait." I tapped her shoulder. Startled, she glanced back at me.

"What's wrong?"

"It...why'd you ask me this?"

"Because." She stated, as if it was enough. "I needed an answer." She placed one leg out of the car.

"Unless," Big risk on my part here! "Unless the dude's your boss."

My words obviously hit Sara like a plank of wood over the head. She pulled her leg back in and shut the door.

"How-"

"Come on, Sara. It's obvious. Everybody knows...maybe not _everybody_-"

"Everybody knows? Oh, my God...this- this is terrible! Does Grissom know?" I expected her to act angry...crazy even, not like a fruit-loop.

"Sara, calm down." I spoke firmly. She stopped flailing and gnashing of teeth, but her eyes started to water. "Look, nobody cares what you do. Whatever you choose, I'll back you one-hundred percent. So will Greg." He'd better.

"But..." She wiped her eye. I'd never actually _seen_ Sara cry before. It kinda frightened me.

"Hey, now come on. Don't cry. I'm not good with tears." This is true. I suck with tears.

Sara wiped off both her eyes and checked herself in the mirror. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have bothered you, but, uh, thanks for the advice."

"You want a coffee?"

"Uh, ye- where from?"

"I'll go get it now." So I did. I pulled Sara along with me - against her wishes, of course - and settled her into the break-room. So, I poured the coffees and I shut the door, taking off my shoe and placing it just behind the door so as nobody could enter the room. I sat down, thankful for the uberly-cosy chair. Sara gingerly drank her coffee.

"It's nice. Thanks, Allie." She smiled feebly. I scratched my head.

"Okay...you and Grissom. What happened? You've never even flinched about the subject before and now...boy-howdy."

"Well...I kissed him." She threw her head into her hands. I widened my eyes in shock.

"Yikes." The thought of Grissom kissing just...ugh! It didn't seem natural to me. Still doesn't... "That's...yikes."

"Ha." Sara threw her hands up. "Great. I thought I could ask you because you're not afraid to say what you think, and you and Greg, well...you two are great together."

"Thank you." I said, honestly. Come to think of it, me and Greg worked really well... but so do Grissom and Sara. "Sara, you gotta tell him."

"I can't."

"You have to!"

"I can't, Allie! He'll say, well, I don't know what he'll say and that is exactly why I can't tell him!" Sara ranted out hysterically.

"You can! You have to, and you can! Sara," I raised my voice. "Whatever he says, he loves you! May not be the same love you have but still. It counts for somethin', doesn't it? Tell him. Or-or, if you want, I'll tell him. He likes me." I smiled, trying to lighten the moment. Sara frowned.

"I...can't handle rejection."

"Neither can I, but everyone's gotta face it." Wow. I amazed myself slightly with my words of wisdom. I didn't realize I had it in me.

"Allie."

"Don't argue. Go!" I stood up and grabbed - gently - hold of her arm. I took the last sip of my coffee and put my jacket back on. I was unreasonably cold for some reason. Shaking the thought away, I pushed Sara out of the door a fraction in front of myself. We walked past the lab and I saw Greg playing with his hair. Under other circumstances, I'd have laughed at him. As is, I really couldn't.

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A/N: Please R&R! More on the way now... Happy days!


	29. Chapter TwentyEight

1Ch. 28 (Not Allie POV)

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Sara paced the outside of Gil Grissom's office as she wracked her brains. She couldn't think of one was to put it. In fact...she wasn't even sure what 'it' was. Just then, his door opened.

"Can I help you?" Grissom poked his head out of his door. Sara jumped slightly.

"Oh, hey." She smiled at him. "Hey."

"Yes. Hey." Grissom looked at the floor then back at Sara. "Do you want to come in?" He stood back, allowing Sara to enter.

"Thanks. I, uh, wanted to chat...just if you're not busy."

"Go on." He shuffled through some papers on his desk, not really paying attention to Sara. She sat on the chair in front of him. She knew it would be impolite to barge into confessing her love etc. for him, but where matters of the heart were concerned, did politeness ever get a look in?

"So, um, how are you?"

"Fine. Got a case." He looked up and smiled. He must've noticed the look on Sara's face as he took a double-take.

"Good one, I hope."

"Mm." He nodded, still rifling through the papers. "Is everything okay, Sara?"

"Yep. Peachy." She breathed. Suddenly she felt herself go very warm and get slightly flustered. She remembered another time when this happened. She was performing on stage in the second grade. She ended up the envy of every girl in school over that part. She smiled, thinking of the nostalgia.

"You don't look so good...want a glass of water?"

"Nope. I just want to get this over with." She shot out, fiddling with her hair. Grissom put the papers down. Now he was plain-old concerned.

"Okay. Shoot."

"I...I-I...I love you." Not the best way to break the news, she thought. Grissom opened his mouth then quickly closed it again. "I mean...I think...Hold on."

Suddenly, Sara rushed out of the room and into the lab. Instantly, she grabbed Allie by the sleeve. "Bad idea, Allie!" She shouted. Greg looked up from his microscope, thoroughly confused. He'd never seen Allie like this. She was calm, cool...slightly collected. She never barged through her words.

"Whoa, what happened?" Allie asked, once out of everyone's ear-shot. Sara stoped and breathed.

"I told him."

"Really? What did he say?"

"He never said anything. Okay...I did not just do that."

"Oh, but you did. And you know what?" Allie smiled. "I'm proud."

"Yeah, you might be. I made a complete ass of myself! Probably get fired now." She muttered the last part. Disappointment ran through her veins as the tears started to form at the back of her eyes.

"It's okay. I'll come in with you. Now, what exactly did you say?" Allie asked calmly, as she walked Sara back to Grissom's office.

"I love you." Sara said, sarcastically.

"Oh. Huh. Right, well. On we go." She reached the door and shoved Sara in gently. Allie spied Grissom looking at his beetles. Apparently he never heard the door open. "Hey, Grissom!" Allie tried to sound chirpy. Yet she was downright nervous.

"You ran away, Sara." He stated, coldly. Allie swallowed as she made sure Sara was comfortably seated.

"Grissom, I'd like to help Sara here. I think..." Allie rested herself against the supervisor's chair. She was sure he stuffed items in there to make it comfier. "I think she wants to know how you feel." Oh, great, Allie thought, now I sound like Oprah... or Dr. Phil. Sara's eyes started to overflow as she looked at her hands, nestled in her lap. Allie felt her heart sink as Grissom turned round.

"I feel..." He stopped himself. Allie figured it was like a mental block on his emotions.

"You feel...?"

"He doesn't know how the hell he feels!" Sara snapped. "You know what? This was a whole, big mistake! She stood up, causing Allie to do the same.

"Sara, calm down, okay?"

"No, you know...he just. I love you, Grissom, I really do, but you have no - no... nothing! You're like a stone sometimes! For God's sake, I just told you I love you and what? Nothing! You say nothing, you do nothing, I mean you're so frustrating!" She threw her hands up. Allie agape, pulled herself together quickly. This was all so unlike Sara. So...out of character.

"In his defence, it doesn't seem like you gave him much time."

"You're supposed to be helping, Allie." Sara said, still fuming. Grissom did nothing during her rant except frown. Allie thought he might explode.

"Okay, this is good. Feelings...out in the open...it's good, right?" She looked into Grissom's eyes. "Now. Tell her what you feel. Or think. Whichever."

"I think...it's great you got your feelings out, Sara. I also think you need to take a few days off. Consider those feelings." He said, staring at the clock on the wall. Sara rolled her eyes. Allie nodded.

"Okay, thank you Grissom. Now, I need you both-"

"Don't you think I've considered my feelings?"

"Excuse me?"

"You're just after telling me, and Allie, that you don't reckon I've thought this over. And I haven't. But I have thought on my feelings for you. So..." A Sara pause ensues. "Which is it, Grissom?"

"Sara-" Allie started.

"No. Let him talk, Allie."

"Oh...kay."

"I...have a prior engagement regarding the case. Please excuse me."

"No!" Allie ran after him and pulled him back to his seat. "Sit. And do not stand up until you tell her your thoughts. If you think we'll get the implication that you're just a big softie, don't worry. We honestly won't."

"It isn't that." He stated, rubbing his face.

"Then what?" Sara asked.

"I don't wish to have this conversation at the current-" There was a knock at the door. Everyone turned round to face Nick.

"Hey. Got a few prints from that scene." Nick walked over to the desk. Seeing Sara, he cleared his throat. "Hope I'm not interrupting."

"Course not. This is a match."

"Indeed it is, boss." Nick stood over beside Allie. "Your Greg is the best with a microscope."

"Not my Greg." Allie mumbled. "And you don't get print results from microscopes. You get them from CODIS." She patted Nick on the back.

"Yeah, but I got microscopic things, too." He answered, smirking. Allie made a silent 'o' with her mouth. "How are we all doing here?" He asked, bright as a shiny new button. Grissom arched his eyebrow and looked up.

"We're fine, Nick. Go get a soda."

"Uh...yeah. Alright." Nick started back off towards the door. He noticed Sara had been crying which piqued his intrigue. "Allie, I'll call you later."

"Great. Look forward to it." Allie mumbled, turning back to Sara. Nick shut the door behind him, scratching his head. Alle sighed. "You two, I'm gonna go now. Anything else? Gil?"

He looked up, surprised, before shaking his head 'no'. Sara tutted. "Sidle?"

"Nothing. Grissom, I'm, uh, gonna take your advice. A week off. Who knows. I might not come back." She stood up. "Allie, thank you for your help. Sorry it didn't go as planned. But, hey...join the club." Sara grabbed her coat and flounced out, wiping her eyes. Allie sighed and threw her face into her hands.

"Grissom...are you nuts?!"

"Emotion...are beyond compare to the lovesick."

"Who said that?"

"Me. Just now." He stood up and put his glasses on.

"Whoa, up. Do you love her?"

"Well..."

"Yes or no." Allie stated, firmly. There was a pause that disgusted Allie.

"Yes." He replied hesitantly.

"Then why not tell her?" She pleaded.

"I have...issues, Allison. Everyone I love...something bad happens."

"Grissom, that is the biggest admission I've ever gotten out of you. It's also the biggest mystery I've gotten out of you. You still have a mom, right?"

"Yes."

"And she uses her deafness to give positivity, right?"

"I'm not sure..."

"She learned sign language. She worked through her deafness and came out positive, is what I mean."

"My father died. I had a brother who died. One girlfriend..." He took his glasses off slowly and placed them on the desk. "Obviously that never ended well."

"Grissom, one bad relationship...ah. Try and tell Sara. For her own good...and yours." She stood up, walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "Don't give up, Griss. On anything."

She left the room, leaving Grissom with his thoughts.

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(Allie POV)

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On my way out, I stopped in the lab and brought Greg some chocolate. He was sitting in his chair getting ready to leave.

"Hola." I waved. Greg looked up at me, boyish smile starting to spread over his face. I felt a sort of...butterfly, for lack of a better word, in the pit of my stomach. Damn Greg and his smile.

"Hey, Allie. What up?"

"Meh...nothing. Brought you a bag of chocolate."

"Aw, thanks." He winked, pulling out a pack of Buttons and bursting into them. Sometimes he was like a kid in a candy store.

"So, how's work?"

"You should know...never seen so much of you in my life since today. Everything okay?" He eyed me curiously. His hair was spiked flatly today. His hair generally looked great, whether he put any effort in or not. Except when he tried to match the porcupine look...

"Yep. Grissom and Sara issues, just. Sara...Sidle, this is. Asked _me_ what I thought of them, basically. I said tell him you love him, she did, he didn't react, she did."

"Oh."

"Mm. She just came out! And then she flipped out, went psycho-Sara and accused him of being a fish."

"Eek."

"Seriously difficult to watch." I let out a sigh, leaning over the counter. "I feel tired, Greg. Really sleepy. I bet it's my fault, you know. Sara, I mean."

He came over to me and placed one arm over the small of my back and offered me a chocolate with the other hand.

"It's not your fault. You just...told her what you thought she should do. It's cute that you do that."

"Ah, you think everything I do's cute."

"Why, yes I do." He smirked.

"I'm going home. I'm tired. I have a film to watch and then I have to be up for work." I smiled. For some perverted reason I loved my work. "Why don't you come with me? You could sleep on the couch."

"Uh...yeah. What film?"

"Mommy Dearest. Supposed to be uberly scary." I grabbed one of his chocolates and started munching away.

"Cool. Meet you there in twenty?"

"Oh, yes." I smiled, swallowing the chocolate. Greg pouted and I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. He grabbed hold of me and lifted me up, causing me to make a funny squealing noise. I'm not proud of it and I don't wish to re-live it. Greg laughed.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I kissed him again, wriggling free of his arms. "Twenty minutes, no less!"

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A/N: Aloha! Hope you liked the chapter...I've decided to write most of this story in Allie POV now cause I enjoy that particular style of writing. I know, this was very badly written...Sara was too OOC for my liking. But, hey...she's hysterical. Anyways, please R&R. Four reviews and I'll update!!! Have a great rest of the day,

JauntyChick

XOX


	30. Chapter TwentyNine

Ch. 29 (Allie POV)

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Half an hour later Greg finally showed up on my doorstep. I'm not too bothered by people being late for things. Obviously there are worse things you could do to offend others. Greg had a bag full of stuff which was great. Popcorn of the salty buttery variety, which everybody knows is the best. Rufus was still mourning the loss of Dylan, and by mourning I mean sprawling himself over his bed and barking every so often. Frank comes over, though and feeds him. I pulled Greg in and shut the door.

"You're late! I've had the film set up for absolutely ages! Oh, I love that shirt. It suits you." I blurted all this out. It really did go nice with his hair, though.

"Uh, thank you?" He looked really confused. I smiled.

"No problem. So, you get someone to take over?" We moved over to the couch and sat down. I had the film on pause. Joan Crawford and her eyebrows intrigued me. I know that it wasn't Joan Crawford, but Faye Dunaway looks the complete double of her in the film!

"Ted." He rolled his eyes. I knew why. Ted was sweet enough guy and he was always nice to me and Greg. His competence for the job, however, was questionable at most. He liked to leave things to the last minute.

"Oh, Ted." I nodded.

"Yeah, Ted." He sighed and yawned, stretching slightly. He stopped abruptly and stared at me. "You look pretty, by the way." I looked down at what I was wearing. A tiny pink vest-top tee thing and pink satin pyjama bottoms. My top had a sheep on it, too. Kinda cute.

"Oh, this old thing." I felt myself blush slightly. Greg flicked the remote up in the air and caught it again. "Impressive. Can you take your jacket off and help me with the stuff, too?"

"Ooh...probably not." He kicked his shoes off and put his feet on the table.

"You know," I started, getting of my chair. "You are so lucky that I'm not one of those crazy-psycho-bitch girlfriends that doesn't allow feet withing a five mile radius of her."

"You don't like feet, Allie." He reminded me.

"Yeah, but I'm not shouting at you to get your feet off my uberly-expensive coffee table." I said, slipping on my two slippers. They were pink, too. I know, I know...twenty-seven year-olds do _not_ wear pink. But I do.

"True." Greg nodded. "So, I hear you and Sara had a run in?"

"Oh, yeah. I was telling you." I perched myself on top of the armchair right next to Greg. He touched my knee and looked up at me. "Uh, where was I?"

"Psycho-Sara accused Grissom of fish-ness."

"Oh, yeah. She did. Poor Grissom, I don't think he knows what hit him. But, then...he said something that really...got me."

"Which was?"

"I'm getting there, if you'd let me." I arched my eyebrow and he simmered down. "Anywho, I asked him why he wouldn't let anyone in... he said, 'Everyone I loved - something bad happened to them!'. I mean, he said he loves Sara-"

"Really?"

"Yeah-"

"How?"

"Uh, I asked if he did and he said yes."

"Did he hesitate?" Greg's eyes widened and nearly bulged out of his head. That boy needed to get himself a hobby.

"Of course!"

"Would you hesitate?"

"W-what? Why...why would I hesitate?"

"I don't know. If I asked you if you loved me, would you hesitate?"

Way to put me on the spot here, Greggo. I thought everyone hesitates before they exclaim they love someone. "I don't know."

"Huh. Go forth."

"Yeah, anyway," Thank God for a way out of _that_ conversation. "He hesitated and I got the impression he really meant it. If he could just tell Sara."

"Bummer, Allie." He stood up. "I'm gonna go get ready. Popcorn?" He handed me the packet in the bag. I graciously accepted, went into my kitchen and placed the popcorn in the microwave. "Allie?" Greg called me from the bedroom.

"Yesm?" I asked, half-shouting.

"Where's your bed?"

"It's in the bedroom." I laughed, walking to my room. "Why do you ask?" I reached my room and nearly died. My bed was gone. A full king-sized bed. Gone. I'd only been away a while, I mean...how far could a bed have gone in three or four hours.

"Cause, it ain't here now."

"I...I..." I stuttered. This stuttering was becoming more and more part of my days. Everything happening shocked me. "Where the hell is my bed?!" I shouted. Greg walked over to me and half-hugged me. I was actually really pleased he did this, whether I showed it or not.

"It's okay."

"My bed..."

"It'll be fine, don't worry."

"Is gone..."

"Surely you noticed it when you got changed?" He asked, still holding me.

"I...I got changed in the bathroom, I think." I honestly couldn't remember.

"Oh. Want me to call Grissom?" He pulled apart from me and I didn't like it. I clutched onto him and for some reason I felt like crying. Fairly so, in my opinion. I like my bed...I'm very attached to my bed.

"No, no, no. No. Don't."

"You sure?"

"Uh-huh. I'll make a bed on the floor. It'll be great!" I withdrew the bad thoughts from my head. "At least I've got a lot of cushions."

"Cushions?" Greg frowned, holding me again.

"Yeah, put the cushions on the floor and cover it in blankets." Actually, the comfiest bd I ever had was on the floor. Without a real mattress. I gasped. "My mattress is gone, too!"

"Yeah, you didn't...?"

"No, I didn't!" Now I really could've cried. My bed-_base_ was one thing. My mattress was another.

"But, the cushions..."

"Yeah, so as you can have the mattress! Now what? We'll both have to sleep on the cushions." I heard a ping indicating me to the popcorn. I pulled Greg out of the room.

"Wait, shouldn't we call the police?"

"Nah. It's only a bed." I muttered, silently seething. Again, I had to clear the angry thoughts away. It is only a bed. At least I have a house.

"You alright, Al?"

"Of course. Only a bed, Greg."

"Alright."

So, a lot later, I had - slightly - gotten over the bed thing. Me and Greg had made a bed on the floor and I had to make different popcorn. The film started and my friend was right. It was scary. Faye Dunaway had seriously scarred me for life with the wire coat-hangers. Never mind the way I feel about cleaning my bathroom. "You okay, Sanders?"

"Oho! I am never watching anything like that ever again!"

"Whatever Happened to Baby Jane's on after this."

"What's that?" He asked, coyly. I scoffed.

"Joan Crawford. Bette Davis."

"Ah! No!" He shook his head. I laughed.

"Fine. I'm going to sleep now anyway."

"Well, so am I."

"Good."

"Great." He fixed his pillow down a bit and I took my slippers off. The bed was undeniably comfy, and I was getting tired. I yawned and lay down. Greg pulled the cover over himself, thus pulling it off me. I sighed. I knew that would happen. Considering I was seriously nearly over the edge of the bed... I sidled up a bit and Greg flinched.

"What?"

"Nothing. You're cold." He stated.

"I know. I don't have a blanket." I grinned, whispering. Greg smiled and pulled himself a fraction closer to me. I kissed him on the cheek and rolled over. I must've fallen asleep shortly afterwards.

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A/N: Hi all! Hope you liked the chapter...I decided I don't have enough Grallie (Yes, the ship between Greg/Allie.) Fluff. If anyone can come up with a better name for it, that would be greatalicious! Three reviews would be nice this time. It's my birthday soon. All I want is reviews! Hint, hint! Anywho...I have a cameo for someone...she knows who she is ;)

Have a great rest of the day,

JauntyChick

XOX (Squee!)

1,340 Words (Not including these)


	31. Chapter Thirty

Ch. 30 (Allie POV)

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I awoke the next morning to feel Greg's arm snaked over my waist. I fluttered my eyes open and found his head on my shoulder. His eyebrows were raised and he was smiling sightly. I grinned and turned back onto my pillow. The I remembered: This was the floor. I was right, it was comfier than the bed.

"Good morning." Greg muttered into my shoulder. I giggled quietly.

"Mornin'. I thought you were asleep."

"How come you never tried to move me." He whispered.

"What? And ruin the illusion of your big old head on my arm? Nah...better to leave you." I whispered back. He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek.

"My head isn't that big!"

"It is when it's up close!"

"Yeah, well yours isn't too far off giant, either."

I rolled my eyes and yawned. The clock registered to be 7:16AM.

"I'm going back to sleep." I stated.

"Good for you. I have work."

"Oh, holy cow! So do I!" I threw the cover off of myself. For reasons unknown, I completely forgot that today was only Wednesday. How did I do that, you wonder? Well, when you work as many days as me, days generally have no relevance. Then again, I did volunteer for a _lot_ of the work. I put my heating on to go for a shower and clambered into the kitchen. "You want coffee?"

"Sure." Greg sauntered in to the kitchen and walked up behind me. I was busy trying to make myself a glass of freshly juiced orange/apple/strawberry/banana juice. I know. Sounds great, right? I invented it. "What is that?!" He asked me, obviously disgusted. I shook my head and tutted.

"Juice. It's great, I'll make you some."

"Ooh." He took a few strands of my hair and started playing with them. I don't know why but it didn't irritate me when Greg did it. I figured I was going soft in my old age. He traced his finger across my neck. My stomach did that stupid fluttery thing it was getting oh-so-good at. I wondered for a second if I should maybe ask the doctor about it... "So...you don't snore."

"You sound surprised." I arched an eyebrow.

"I am. You seem like the snoring kind of girl."

I turned round, absolutely shocked. "Gregory Sanders!" I picked up yesterdays paper and swatted him with it.

"What?" He laughed. "You do. Besides...snoring can be cute."

"You snored. Believe me, it was _not_ cute. You're cute though." I turned round and winked at him. I poured the odd-coloured juice into two glasses and turned the radio on. Amy Winehouse was explaining to everyone how her tears dried on their own. Damn incredibly catchy tune. I started dancing along.

"You like her?"

"Mm...maybe I just like dancin'."

"Who doesn't." He took a sip of the juice I handed him. Thankfully, he never scrunched his face up in disgust. "So, I've decided you can meet Papa Olaf in four days."

"Why four days?"

"Cause I have to visit my mom. Who still thinks I'm not allowed to work the field."

"Well, why does she think that?" I laughed. I knew Greg enjoyed the field work. He aspired to be a CSI. I turned round to face him. He took another sip of juice.

"Well...see, my mom wanted two kids. But instead...that didn't really work out, so she got stuck with me." I tutted.

"No one would ever be _stuck_ with you, Greg. You're great." I reassuringly slapped him over the arm.

"Thanks...so anyway, lone child, she got a little...over-protective. If I got a cut, I'd be in the emergency room quicker than winkie. One time I fell off the roof, she cried solid for two days. I asked her why and she told me she was so afraid that she might lose me."

"Wow." I said. I had no idea Greg had this kind of serious side to him. It actually really made me adore him all the more. "Wait...I thought you have a sister...the, uh, pregnant one?" I said before taking another drink. That stuff was beautiful!

"Yeah. Adopted. I was, like, ten or something and one day mom just snapped. Brought my sister home and said 'Hey! You two behave!' and that was it."

"Oh. I, uh...had absolutely no idea. But you have to tell your mom, Greg."

"I can't...she'd just get really upset and worried." He looked out the window.

"Well, if anything happened to you..." I stopped. If anything happened to Greg? It couldn't happen to Greg. At least...I truly hoped not. I pushed the thought away as a strange burning started at the back of my eyes. "You just...you should tell her."

"Alright. Only if you promise to stay at mine tonight." I was about to protest, but: "You know, cause you don't have a bed and...well, uh..." Stuttering. Greg-style. The best. I laughed.

"Oho-kay. Yeah, I'd better fix that...come to think of it. I have a shower to get, unless...you wanna go first?"

"Nah. I'll go after."

"Sweet." I took another swig of juice - finishing it in one fell swoop...very impressive - "You've got a pink shirt, I see. Pink makes you look like a fourteen year old." I got up on my tiptoes and kissed him and, I expect, confusing him.

"But...pink is a rejuvenating colour!" He shouted after me. But I was gone.

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In the car, I had to turn the heater on. The winter months were approaching and it had started to rain in copious amounts. Today was no exception. Cher was on the radio singing 'Strong Enough'. I love that song. It never ceases to amaze me the power that a song hold over a person. They can remind you of things...make you happy...make you angry...make you sad...make you laugh, too. I bobbed my head in time with the music. My hair flopped about the place. I had it layered recently, and bobbing it along to music was my new-found hobby. Fun, huh?

"You know, it might fall off if you do that." Greg cleared his throat and stopped at the red light. I looked at him.

"Huh? What might?"

"Your head, Al. What are you doing?"

"Rocking out, Greg. _You_ used to, in the lab. Remember?" I frowned, then laughed suddenly. "God, you annoyed me."

"Why did _I _annoy _you_? If anything, you annoyed me!"

"What? I wasn't annoying!"

"You so were!"

"Wasn't!"

"You sucked up to Grissom _and_ Ecklie!"

"You always suck up to Ecklie! Oh, and Grissom!"

"I'm scared of Grissom! And Ecklie...he's like some freak of nature!"

"Oh, tosh! He isn't that bad!" I laughed. Of course...he _was_ that bad. "Why are you scared of Grissom? He seems nice...not that I've ever seen him actually _out_ of work. Have you?"

"Firstly, he's a scary dude. Secondly, no." Greg frowned. "I actually haven't. Hey, do you think Brass ever wears anything other than the suit?"

"Uh...I'd imagine so." I talked slowly. The thought had really never crossed my mind before. "Probably, Greg."

"Well, I gotta tell you." Greg raised his 'brows. "The thought of that guy in a sweater? Kinda freaks me out." I laughed at him. "What? It'd be a scary thing!"

"Man, you're so naive!" I started playing with the radio until I found a half-way decent song after Cher. I unsurprisingly flicked past Metallica causing Greg to complain. That's one of the most epic songs of the century...blah, blah. I still dislike them.

"You have no taste in music."

"Cough! Country and western. Cough!" I mock-cleared my throat and giggled. Just then, we pulled up to the lab only to find Nick standing outside with my dad. Then I remembered: I had to tell him about Jimmy Mead. I slapped the side of my head.

"You okay?" Greg asked, voice serious with concern.

"Yep. Just wait for me in the lab, okay?" I kissed him on the cheek and exited the vehicle.

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A/N: Okay, hope you liked. Sorry for the pure fluffy romantic gook. Believe me, I'd rather _not_ have went there, but I did, so ha! Anyways...hope these chapters aren't too confusing cause I keep forgetting to mention key things, like feeding the dog and what-not. Don't worry, he will not starve!

Have a great day and please...click the R&R button...for me??? Pouts 

JauntyChick

XOX

Relatively short at 1,363 not including these!


	32. Chapter ThirtyOne

Ch. 31

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I took my father into the lab and sat him down. Nick offered to help me, so I immediately thanked him and said yes. I'd really rather not have done it by myself. My dad looked confused, and my hand started shaking.

"Any ideas why we wanna talk to you, Dad?" I asked, smiling. He frowned.

"Not a single clue, Allie." He muttered quickly and I could see he was nervous. Nick prompted me to go on.

"See, the thing is..." I started, licking my lips. I tended to do that when I got nervous or edgy. "I've been trying to think on a good way to say this without upsetting you or, I don't know...annoying you but I kinda can't, so."

"You see, Mr. Moore, I was working overtime the other night and I was nearing the end of my shift." Excellent. Thank God for Nick taking over the reigns. He was far better at this than I ever could be. "So, I saw you DNA and I ran it."

"Why?" Dad butted in. Sometimes he wasn't the brightest bulb in the box.

"Because I worry about your daughter, Sir." Nick said, firmly yet politely. He was in formal-mode for some reason. "Anyhow, I ran your DNA through CODIS and I found a match to one," Nick handed him the paper. "Jimmy Mead."

"Who?" Dad started reading the sheet, scratching his head.

"Me and Greg Sanders, Dad, we were out in the woods on a date and I saw this carving on a tree. It was done in 1956 by an eleven year old boy. His name was Jimmy Mead." When I said it, it didn't sound at all plausible...but DNA doesn't lie. "Major coincidence, huh?"

"But...I...I don't have a brother!" He threw the piece of paper on the desk. "Ask anybody! My own mother!"

"Dad, calm down. I'm sure there's a plausible explanation."

"Plausible explanation for a seventy-eight year old woman lying through her back teeth for fifty-three years about her son having a brother he knows nothing about? Allie, sweetie, no. My mom would not lie to me." He shouted, standing up and looking slightly smug.

"Dad-"

"End of the conversation, Allie. I do _not_ have a brother. My mother would _not_ lie to me. Especially at this age." He walked up to Nick. "As for googling my DNA or whatever you did," He spat out the words. "I'll be contacting your supervisor about that." He stormed out of the room. I was slightly shaken as Nick walked over to me.

"You alright?"

"Uh-huh. He's...that was _not_ like my dad, Nick. Not like him at all."

"What are you gonna do now?"

"Pay Jimmy a visit." I got my bag. "Then my grandma. Hey, will you ask Greg to cover for me for an hour. I'll be back soon, I hope." I asked, not really caring if he said no.

"Sure. Good luck, Al."

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My grandma's house was only a short drive away between my house and Henderson. She was seventy-eight, short and slim. She still dyed her hair every month and she wore enough make-up to put a drag-queen to shame. She showed no sign of slowing down, taking her dog out for a walk every night. But I loved her all the same. I knocked on the door and opened it. I could hear Liberace playing in the background. She had a huge collection of his and she always let me listen to them when I was younger. I had to admit...he was fabulous!

"Grandma?" I called out. I found her in the sitting room reading some trashy novels.

"Allie, dear! How are you?" She shot up out of her chair. She was amazingly speedy. Actually quicker than me. Probably Dylan too.

"Hi Grandma!" I hugged her, happy to see her. I didn't get a chance to visit cause of other engagements. Usually every week or so... "You look great. Are those new?" I pointed to her feet which adorned new shoes. Silver. High-heeled. Peep-toe. Utterly bad choice for a lady of her age.

"Yes. Bought them three days ago, don't you know. That fancy store on the trip. Hector took me." She nodded. I had no idea who Hector was.

"Great. Hey, listen...I'm only here for a second-"

"Oh, you young things and your lives...always rushing about...willy-nilly doing something you shouldn't. How's the boyfriend?" She asked, sitting me down at the table and plopping apply juice in front of me.

"He's...how did you know?"

"I have my ways. Greg, right?" She smirked. I opened my mouth wide. I knew dad wouldn't have told her...maybe Dylan...

"I, uh, yeah...He's fine. Just fine, thanks. Listen, I need to ask you a...sort of personal question."

"Oh, no...personal? How personal?"

"Regarding one of your children." I said, not-so-subtly. Her face fell to the ground.

"Oh, I see. You'd better come with me."

I followed her to her bedroom and she opened the wardrobe. She asked me to get her a box at the very top of said wardrobe. I pulled it down. It was wooden and very fancy looking. E.M.M, her initials were written in silver on the top of it. Eleanor May Moore. I smiled. "It's beautiful."

"They key is under my pillow here..." She lifted up the white square to reveal a small key with the shape of a heart at the top of it. "Now, you can't tell anybody about this, Allie. It's a secret."

"Okay." I nodded. She opened it and revealed a bunch of papers, photographs, general novelties...

"Now, I first got this box when I was fifteen. It's got a lot of information in it. This box is my life. My whole life collected over sixty-odd years, Allie." She emptied it onto the bed and started searching through the bottom of it. Most of the papers had aged a lot, and the pictures were decrepit beyond repair. "This is a picture of me, my mother and father...and my brother. The double of your own, you see." She handed me the photo and she was right. He looked just like Dylan.

"Wow..." I said, under my breath.

She pulled out another photo and smiled faintly at it. "Anyway, this is Robert Evan Mead and myself. He used to work around my house for my mother. He was a sweet boy. We went out briefly and then..." She stopped, a glint appearing in her bright-blue eyes. "I was five months pregnant and my mother found out." She tucked the photo under another few papers. She then handed me a note. "Robert left a while after mother found out and I was left holding the baby. Literally." She laughed. "Oh...this is little Jimmy's birth certificate. I gave him up to a lady in her thirties and her husband. Mead's, I think they were. Nice family. I was so upset about getting rid of the baby...I couldn't even tell your grandpa. Or your dad. How did you find out?"

"I found this indentation on a tree..." I handed her a notelet containing Jimmy's words that I wrote down on my way here. "So me and Greg went out and found him. Well, we're sure it's him, only he vehemently denies it. I just...I have a feeling about it."

"Was he the only Jimmy Mead you found?"

"Well, no..."

"So this could be a different one?"

"No. Same address, same crimes."

"Crimes? One of my children is into crime?" Grandma half-shouted. I'm glad I never told her about Dad's little mishap over the past few days.

"No...I think he was framed. Besides, it was just vandalism. We caught the guy who did the arsonism." Okay, that is _not_ a word. Sounds good, though.

"Oh, well thank God for that, I mean...have you told Eric?"

"Not yet. I'll tell him tonight, though."

"No, don't. I want to, Allie. If it's okay."

"Of course, Grandma. Look, I'd better go...I have half an hour to locate Jimmy Mead-"

"Do you have to?"

"Well, he has a whole other family which I'm sure he'd like to know about."

"You're right, Dear. Meet me back here after your shift. I'd love to hear how you get on. I just...tell him...I'm sorry." Grandma fumbled out.

"Will do, and hey?" I stood up, holding onto Grandma's hand.

"Mm?" She stood up, face furrowed with concern.

"Don't worry."

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So my schedule hadn't been interrupted and I learned a _lot_ from Grandma's little box which she gave me to keep a hold of for a while. I made the turn off for Jimmy's house. I had fixed my hair in a more acceptable manor and I had changed my socks. My jeans were fine, I decided. Also, I had my trusty classic Vans. I found his home and parked outside it. I tugged at my red blouse. Getting up my nerve, I took a hold of the box, locked my car and sauntered up to the door. I tapped on it and several seconds later a chirpy, pretty girl - teenager, definitely...maybe eighteen at most - of about 5" 2' was stood in front of me.

"Hi!" She greeted, smiling at me. I smiled back.

"Hello...uh, I'm from the crime lab-" Que a shocked gasp from the girl.

"Is everything alright?" Funny, this was pretty much the same reaction from Jimmy.

"Yep, peachy. I'm not here on a business visit."

"Oh." She adopted a severe confused look on her face. She was wearing a plain green tank-top and dark jeans. She had Vans, too. I cocked my head. "Well, uh, I guess you should come in!" She laughed, standing back allowing me to enter.

"Thank you. Uh, is your dad home?"

"He is. He's out back though, I'll go get him. Won't you sit down?" She offered, flashing her beaming smile at me. I couldn't help but smile back as I waltzed into the living room. It was huge, was the first thing I noticed. The second was all the medallions and photos. The girl that had greeted me was the subject of most of them. Jimmy was usually in them with her. On top of the television was a photo of a woman in her mid-thirties, I'd say, with curly brown hair and a million-dollar smile, almost matching the girl's smile. Just then, I heard the distinct shuffle of feet. I swivelled round to see Jimmy Mead smile at me.

"Oh, hello. You again, from the little crime lab." He sounded a lot better than the last day I saw, that's for sure. "Listen, I wanted to apologise for my complete lack of politeness the other week-"

"Mr. Mead, that's okay. It was really none of my business to pry. I'm sorry."

"No problems, uh...Miss?"

"Moore. Allison Moore. I actually have another matter to discuss," I glanced at the girl. Jimmy seemed to take note. He actually resembled Dustin Hoffman a little.

"Honey, will you go and put the kettle on for Miss Moore here?"

"Sure." She muttered, heading off to the kitchen.

"Now, please take a seat." Jimmy motioned to the chair which I gladly accepted. Everything here was so nice, neat and organized. Nothing like any of my dysfunctional family's houses.

"Thanks." I mumbled. I placed Grandma's box down beside me.

"So, is this bad news?" He scrunched his nose up.

"No, no, no. No, I hope not." I laughed, what I hope was, breezily. "It's about my family." I realised as soon as it was out that this was the wrong thing to say. Then I wondered what his reaction would be to him having a whole other family. He laughed, shuffling his hair.

"Ha, good. I hate bad news. So, what about your family?" He leaned forward in his seat.

"I...I'm sorry, I have to think on the right way to word this. After your DNA is put onto the computer, we can then match it to things." I started. "So, my friend started searching someone's DNA through this system we have-"

"Whoa, whoa...what system?"

"CODIS. It's a DNA system." I stated, plain as day. "Anyway, my friend searched, and found a match. The person he matched it to turns out to be...a, uh, close relative, to you."

"That's, uh...great! Who is it?" He smiled and for a second I don't think he believed me.

"See, this is where it gets tricky." I swallowed. My whole mouth went dry and I thought I was either gonna cry or scream. "Your DNA has seven alleles in common with my father's. Meaning you two." I smiled at him, forgetting all other things in the room. "Are brothers."

At first I suspected he was angry, then he burst out laughing. "No way!"

"Yeah. Way." I smiled feebly.

"Nah! You're kidding! Aren't you?" His face suddenly turned serious.

"I hate to be the one to tell you all of this, but you were adopted-"

"Oh, yeah, yeah. I know that. It's just, I didn't know who my family was." He frowned yet I could tell he was pleased. "Wow...I'm just...wow."

"Tell me about it." I picked up the box, opening it and pulling out his birth certificate and photo. "My grandma only told me the story this evening."

"You know, I don't blame her. Real-mom, I mean."

"Real-Mom?"

"Yeah. My mom told me the story when I was eleven." Aha! I wanted to jump up and shout 'Eureka!' His message was written when he was eleven. I was onto something and I knew it! "I took it badly at the time, but then I got over it. After some mis-understanding with the law, of course. I always knew I had another part of my family, I just gave up on looking." Like vandalism of nature, Jimmy?

"I see. So, uh...why did you hide the fact that you wrote on the tree?"

"Oh, this again. Look," He mumbled. "I was young, Miss Moore-"

"Call me Allie." People calling me Miss Moore was odd. "I am your niece."

"Oho...that is strange!" Jimmy laughed. This meeting was going surprisingly well. I had expected him to shoot through the roof, but he knew it all already.

"I know. It'll take time. Listen, I've gotta go." I checked my watch. I was twenty minutes over schedule. "You can keep a hold of the birth certificate, my grandma says." I stood up.

"Hey, wait...will you be back?"

"I-yeah, I-if you want." I stuttered out.

"Good. I would love to meet your dad." He said, standing in front of me. "My brother. Tell me- what is his name? God, that's bad. I don't even know his name!"

I touched his arm for reassurance. "Don't worry about it. It's Eric. Eric Moore."

"Okay. What about real-mom?"

"Eleanor May Moore. Seventy-eight years old. I have a brother, but he lives in Miami." I should really call Dylan and let him know all that's going on.

"Oh, that's nice. Hey, how about you all come over for dinner tomorrow? That'd be nice. Are you married? You could bring the husband. Hold on, I have a daughter. Michelle?" He shouted on, I assume, the smiling girl and seconds later, she appeared wearing a dark-blue hoodie. "Michelle, this is Allie, Allie, this is my daughter Michelle."

I extended my hand and she shook it. "Hi." Was her only greeting. Guess she was confused.

"Michelle, you know what I was saying about me being adopted, well this is my niece. We've found the extended family! At last!" At this news, Michelle seemed to perk up even more. She giggled and clapped her hands excitedly before nearly taking my head off in a hug.

"Oh, my Gosh! This is _so_ great! It's amazing to finally meet one of you! This is...I'm so shocked - I'm speechless!" She laughed, continually smiling her way throughout. She seemed really nice and warm. I was actually more pleased than I could let on. I left about half an hour later. Michelle decided to sit me down and tell me all about her. She loved music, sports...really there wasn't anything she didn't love. It was hard to be in the same room as her and not be caught by her infectious spirit. I got into my car and drove - quickly - to the lab. I hoped Greg wasn't too angry.

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A/N: Hello! By Jove that was a hard chapter to write. 2, 738 words in there. I hope the cameo - yes, you! - liked yourself. Please R&R and I shall give you a cookie. Sorry about the lack of actual CSI characters in this chapter. There will be Greg in the next chapter, though. Is it just Michelle reading this by the way??? R&R!

JauntyChick

XOX


	33. Chapter ThirtyTwo

Ch. 32 (Allie POV! Enjoy it :)

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Greg wasn't angry at all. In fact, he was positively jubilant. He'd broken Catherine and Warrick's case already, he'd found a match to one of Ecklie's weird friends on the door handle at the scene of a kidnapping, indicating it was he that did it. _And_ he'd been on a lunch break. I would never have gotten that much work done in a day, never mind three hours. So I was greeted with a hug and a cup of Blue Hawaiian coffee. Bowling For Soup were playing away in the background, telling us about how great things were in 1985. I explained to him about my grandma, Jimmy Mead and his crazy daughter...but I still had to get Grandma to tell dad. I surely wasn't going to.

"It's not my place!" I frowned, staring out the window. All the time I was telling him, Greg just stared blankly. I wondered if maybe I rambled for too long. "Greg?"

"Hmm?"

"You okay?"

"Oh, yeah! I was just wondering...maybe you'd like to meet my mom?"

"Uh, I-I think..." I stammered. "Yes, of course."

"Great. How about this weekend?"

"Sure."

"Are you sure you're sure? You don't sound it."

"I'm just...confused." I answered honestly.

"Oh." Greg looked disappointed.

"Not about you!" I threw my hands up, hoping he wasn't worried about what I thought of him. "It's just everything, Greg."

He laughed. "What's so funny?"

"You." He smirked, standing beside me and looking down at me, eyebrow cocked. "You're always so serious...you need to chill out, Allie."

"I do not!" I shouted. "I'm very relaxed...sometimes. Nice shirt!" I digressed, walking away from him until he grabbed hold of my waist and swivelled me around so as I was facing him. "Oh!" I gasped.

"See? You are _not_ a relaxed sort of person, Allie. You take too much on. Like Jimmy Mead!" He smiled, sitting me down on one of the lab chairs. "Take a few days off. Hodges is back tomorrow."

"Greg...you still won't cope without me-"

"Allie, shoosh!" He frowned slightly in that oh-so-cute Greg Sanders way of frowning. I half-smiled.

"Fine. I'm taking two half days and that's it."

"Nope."

"Greg! I'm a workaholic, I admit, but jeez..."

"You're an obsessive. Obsessives get nowhere in life." He folded his arms, winking at me. I rolled my eyes.

"Right. Well, I have work to do...that okay with you? Or not?" I pulled on my lab-coat and waltzed up to my assignments.

"Not...actually."

"Huh?" I glared at him.

"It's not okay, and I am not happy about it...but okay. Just cause I need company." He pointed a finger at me mischievously.

"Uh-huh, right. Admit it, you just don't want me out of your sight in case I run off somewhere with Hodges." I laughed.

"You wouldn't." He said, sure of himself.

"Hey, you never know...Hodges is probably really great. I mean, he's efficient."

"I'm efficient!"

"If you're a snail, then yeah, Greggo. You are efficient." I said, sarcastically.

"You don't fight fair, do you?" He gave me a Jeez-you-annoy-me-but-I'm-gonna-let-it-slide-cause-you're-great look. Well, that's what I thought it looked like.

"Not at all." Just then, Grissom swanned in, looking mad.

"What did you two do to Ecklie?" He asked, frowning.

"I...nothing." Greg looked as though someone had just sawed off his leg right there and then. Grissom glared at me next and I am _sure_ at least half the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It was a truly terrifying look.

"Nope. Not me. Why?"

"He's just after shouting at me until he ran out of breath because of one of my 'lab-rats' have been using the computers for their own gain." Immediately, I thought about Jimmy and my heart nearly-stopped. I swallowed.

"That...Grissom...I didn't mean-"

"Jimmy Mead?" He asked, calmed down fully now. This never relaxed me though. "That's what I thought, too. Except it was Nick who ran it. Why exactly did he run it? Was there any inkling that he may have had, or..." Grissom shook his head questioningly.

"No. Not that I know of. He just ran dad's DNA cause he was curious to see what would come up. That's all he told me." Oh-no. I actually felt worried. I shouldn't be. After all, I was one of Ecklie's favourites, right? No big deal.

"Okay." Grissom inhaled and exhaled sharply. "If he comes in here, just stay calm, don't panic and answer him truthfully. You had nothing to do with it and Greg, look busy!" Grissom walked quickly down the hall. I swallowed.

"Holy cow. Greg, this isn't good. Not good at all." I stood up and started pacing. My phone started ringing. It was dad. I clicked the green phone. "Hello?"

"**Allie! I have a brother! Did you hear? Jesus...I can't believe it - mom lied to me. I'm bummed about that, but I have a brother! I always wanted a brother, you know. He's nice. I went and I found him. Only took me half an hour to locate him. He has a daughter, she's really sweet. Talked highly of you. She says she admires you and how you handle work commitments and oh! I'm seriously so happy, Allie!"** He spoke fast and I had to roll my eyes. I honesty had no time for this.

"Great, dad! Hey, why don't you call Dylan? He'll be pleased."

"**Yeah, I should. We're going for dinner tomorrow, you know." **

"Yep. I know!" I walked to the door, feeling a little nauseous. I felt my head being carried off higher except _I_ was still on the ground. Woozy, that was it. I pushed the feelings away.

"**I'm so amazed, Allie. Anyway, I'm gonna phone Dylan. I love you!" **

"Yeah, love you too." I breathed. There was a short, stabbing pain in my stomach to accompany the woozy feeling. I shook my head and sat down. I took three deep breaths and felt only a little better. Probably getting the cold now on top of everything else. Just my luck. "Bye dad." I hung up. "Ooh."

"You okay, Allie?" By now, Greg was sort of hovering over me.

"Yep. Fine, thanks. Probably hungry." I smiled, getting back to my work.

The next thing, Ecklie walked in slowly and menacingly.

"Okay, I'm giving you both thirty seconds to explain to me why you used the lab machines to find your long-lost relatives. Until then, I'm staying put." He put that little smug-face on.

"Uh, yeah...that would be me." I stood up and immediately regretted it, so I sat back down again. I felt Greg place his hand on my shoulder. Catherine walked in next.

"Conrad, I told you it was fine. Only a minor thing, wouldn't happen again. Grissom's on high-alert because of you and now you're telling _them,_" She motioned toward me and Greg. "Off because one of them found something good? Ecklie, I am fed up being your only 'friend' on this team. So what if I get fired?" She threw her hands in the air. "At least you'll know that we are not pleased with you alterations. You're leaving, why not leave with at least a morsel of dignity. Or maybe a friend?" She stormed out and the pain returned to my stomach. I sat down and put my hand on it. I didn't like it...

"You're leaving?" Greg asked, a little too enthusiastically.

"Yep. One week. I guess you'll all be pleased, but before I go..." Ecklie raised his voice slightly. I hated when he did that. So angry, yet so calm. "I want you _all_ to know, this system will never go as I had planned on account of you mindless, brainless children we have operating our machines. Look at you, Sanders! Barely out of diapers!" He spat. I wondered if he was drunk or maybe he just snapped for no reason at all. Whatever it was, it was bizarre. I'd seen him angry, but never like this. Now he was just spitting insults at us because he could. Then the pain hit me again, this time it was worse. I gasped. "Sanders, do you think I applied for this job because I wanted to 'make friends'? No, I did it so as this state would be a safer place but did I ever get any thanks?"

"Uh...no?" Greg, whom I could tell was seriously angry right then, stuttered.

"Exactly! Not one thanks from a family member, or a cop, or a CSI! Nothing! So, with this in mind, I hope you both have a great day. Oh, and don't strain yourself with my results. Just anytime before I leave would be nice." He smiled falsely and marched out. I gasped again and my breathing increased. I didn't feel good at all and I actually thought I was gonna have a heart attack.

"Who the hell does he think he is?" Greg started, grumpily walking across the lab.

"Greg..."

"I mean, he shouts at you for finding Jimmy - by the way, I don't think that's why he was angry - when it wasn't even you who found that information out - it was Nick! I'm surprised he never tried to pin it on Nick."

"Greg..." I felt my head do that weird thing again and then the pain returned. I was scared. My eyes started to fill with tears, I think it was because of the pain, and I held my stomach. The pain hadn't lessened yet and I was just hoping it would go away.

"Ridiculous..." Greg was still ranting away in the background. I wasn't actually listening. My eyes had begun to over-fill at this point and turned into full-scale tears. Don't be fooled, I absolutely _never_ cried.

"Greg!" I shouted. I doubled over onto the floor with the pain. He rushed over. "Call the ambulance..." That was the last thing I remember. Everything went black. Someone turned the lights off.

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**A/N: **Hi everyone! Hope you liked the chapter. What exactly _is_ wrong with Allie??? Ha, ha...I know and you don't :)

But if you review, then maybe I'll tell you!

Have a great rest of the day,

JauntyChick


	34. Chapter ThirtyThree

Ch. 33 (NOT Allie POV. Third person...enjoy.)

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Greg paced the emergency-room floor. Words couldn't describe how worried he was. He passed the coffee machine. He didn't even feel like he could stomach a cup of coffee. He finally sat on a bench only to be interrupted by a pregnant woman and her husband. He stood up, allowing them to take a seat in the already packed room. He wondered if he should call anyone in case it might be serious. Just that minute, Nick and Warrick swanned in.

"Greg! How is she?" Warrick asked, face furrowed with concern. Greg crossed his arms.

"No idea. Haven't seen a doctor for about an hour. Not one doctor has passed through this room - the _emergency _room - since I got here. Isn't that pathetic?" He stated, running a hand through his spiky hair. Nick stood forward and patted Greg on the shoulder.

"Don't worry 'bout her, Greg. She'll be fine." He stated, half-smiling yet he, too couldn't help but think the worst.

"What happened anyway?" Warrick asked, sitting Greg down into a chair that had recently been emptied.

"I-" Greg threw his hands up, frowning and looking down at his hands. "I don't know. She just...she was fine one second and then - blam." He clicked his fingers. "She was out like a light."

"Did she have any signs of being sick?" Nick asked, leaning against the wall.

"Nope. None. She just stated crying, fell over and told me to call an ambulance." He sighed. "So I did."

"Well, don't worry. Have you eaten anything?" Warrick handed Nick his jacket as he rolled up his sleeves.

"No."

"You hungry, man?"

"No." Greg sighed and looked at his hand. Nick and Warrick exchanged a pitied look. Greg stood up and cleared his throat. "I should really call her family." He pulled her cell phone out of his pocket. Nick stopped him before he opened it.

"That's okay, I already did."

"Thank you." Greg sat back down again. A doctor finally walked into the room.

"Allison Moore?" He called out and Greg immediately stood up.

"Yeah. What about her?"

"Are you her relative?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah, he's her husband." Nick told the doctor, before Greg even had a chance to reply.

"Mr. Moore-"

"Sanders."

"Uh-okay. Mr. Sanders, come with me please." The doctor bowed his head to Warrick and Nick before leading Greg down an icy-cold corridor He was a short man, in his thirties. He had greying dark hair and a permanently worried face. "Your wife has had some serious health issues lately, were you aware?"

"I-no. I actually wasn't."

"Has she been under stress at all? Work related, home related... any of these ring a bell?"

"Well, she does work hard and...uh, yeah. I would say so. She doesn't, but..." Greg felt like crying. He never understood why doctors couldn't tell you straight away what was wrong.

"Hmm." The doctor glared at the sheet of paper. He shook his head and Greg looked around nervously. "Hmm." The doctor said again.

"Doc, will she be okay?" Greg asked, quietly, blinking.

"Honestly, Mr. Sanders, I'm not too sure. She's had a bad beating on the inside. She's young. Stay calm, alright?" He smiled cautiously at Greg. Greg nodded.

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet. But we'll call you." The doctor walked down the hall and entered - what Greg understood to be - Allie's room. As the doctor walked away, the room seemed to get lonelier and colder. Something similar to what Greg was feeling.

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About six or seven hours passed and no word about Allie. Greg, Warrick and Nick were still waiting in the ER. People had passed in and out very quickly, it seemed, except themselves. Catherine, Sara, Grissom and even Hodges had been on the phone constantly. Eric had joined them, although he chose to wait nearer the room. Greg decided that it didn't matter what room he was in, Allie was still sick. A doctor - different from the previous one - came into the room.

"Mr. Sanders?" He asked. He looked a lot friendlier. Dark hair, super-white teeth and a tanned complection, he looked more like he belonged on the set of a movie than in a clinic examining people on their death beds. He looked less stressed and less worried than the other guy, Greg noted.

"That's me." Greg stood up.

"Come this way, please." He smiled. Greg got up off the seat and walked after Dr. Pendanski, as he called himself.

"Is Allie okay?"

"She's recuperating. Her father is in there now." He pointed through the window at a sleeping Allie and her father standing over her. "He said he can only stay for ten more minutes."

"What happened?" Greg asked, zipping up his jacket to ward off the cold of the corridor. Hospitals made him jumpy and cold.

"It seems she was so stressed out, she developed an ulcer, leading to appendicitis. Acute, almost. You say she wasn't showing any signs of illness or anything...vomiting? Diarrhea?"

"No, well...she seemed normal." Greg had forgotten that he was supposed to be playing the doting husband as opposed to the worried boyfriend that he really was. "I don't know, we're not...we don't live together."

"But...you're married, yes?"

"Uh, I..."

"Oh. Right." Pendanski laughed. "Say no more."

Greg smiled feebly. "Yeah."

"Anywho, we had to do an appendectomy. It went really well. Took nearly an hour and there shouldn't be any complications. We'll keep her in for the next couple of days just to be sure. She'll be fully recovered in ten to twenty-eight days. Depending on the surgery, she should be back to work next week. Just...keep a good eye on her. She is your girlfriend, right?"

"Yes. Only for a few weeks."

"I see. Well, I'm gonna recommend, seeing as her parents are both out on their own, maybe she should move in with you for a while." For the first time all day, Greg felt like actually smiling as opposed to crying.

"Okay. Excellent. Thank you...so much!" Greg fought off the urge to hug Pendanski. Instead he just grinned widely.

"You're a good kid. Look after her, okay?" Pendanski shot Greg a warning look before heading back down to the ER. Greg sat outside the door. No less than eight minutes later, Eric came out of the room.

"Hi." He smiled at Greg.

"Hey...Mr. Moore?"

"Yeah, who are you?" He asked, still smiling.

"Greg Sanders, Sir. I'm Allie's boyfriend." He held out his hand which Eric shook gently.

"Hello there. Nice to finally meet you. Allie's been yapping on about you for weeks. She's right, too." He muttered. Greg wanted to ask what she was right about, but he let it go.

"Uh...can I go in there now?"

"Sure. She's asleep. Should wake up anytime. Listen, though, I gotta go now. Stupid work, huh?" Eric laughed. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her." He gave Greg a small smile and then walked down the hall.

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A/N: Ah...that was a hard chapter to write. Stupid third person. Anyways, Grallie fluff shall ensue after that tiny dilemma! R&R please. Have a great day!

JauntyChick

XOX


	35. Chapter ThirtyFour

Ch. 34 (Allie POV! Yay! Enjoy it ;)

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I woke up at around half-ten, which shocked and surprised me. My mouth was dry and I felt as though someone had kicked me to the ground and beaten me up with sticks. I swallowed...Opening my eyes, I discovered I was in some sort of bed. Not a very comfy one, either. There was a monitor above me and that was when it clicked; I was in hospital. I tried to sit up, but I actually couldn't be bothered. I looked to my side. Greg was there. I smiled.

"Hello..." I croaked out. I sounded like a frog which amused me. Greg looked up. I think he was asleep.

"Hey!" Greg rubbed his eye. "How do you feel?"

"I -ah! Sore...I feel sore." I replied. Greg smiled at me.

"Doctor...Pendanski, I think, said you'll feel like that for a while." He sighed a relieved sigh. "Hey." He greeted me again. I smiled.

"Hey, again." I laughed, even though it hurt to do so. "So...what happened to me."

"Like I said," He smiled. "You don't know how to relax, so you and me have the next ten to twenty-eight days to relax."

"Great. Can you get the nurse?"

"Sure." He started for the door. "Why?"

"I want- no scratch that, I _need_ drugs." I moaned, turning onto my side and then having to flip back to my normal position.

"Uh...okay." He left and returned no less than thirty seconds later. "Nurse is on her way. Allie?"

"Mmhm?"

"Hodges wanted to say hello...he _hopes_ you're better soon."

"Ha!" I scoffed. I was drugged up, what else can I say? "Seriously...Hodges wouldn't do that. He _is_ Hodges!" I felt myself getting more and more relaxed. Greg was right...it was _such_ a great feeling. Then I realised; the nurse had came in and given me the painkillers without me even noticing. I laughed for no reason at all.

"Allie, honey...how are you feeling now?" Greg asked, smiling cutely. Was cutely a word?

"I feel...amazing!" I whispered and then I fell asleep. I'm pretty sure Greg kissed me, too. Maybe it was just the painkillers. And...did I hear someone say 'I love you'? Nah. That was _definitely_ the painkillers.

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A/N: Wow. Fluff. Short fluff, LOL! _Really_ short fluff and I apologise. It's showing up as just 7KB on my computer. Pathetic. Anyway, hope you enjoyed. Please R&R. Also...does anybody think I should set Hodges up with someone? I actually feel just a wee bit sorry for him. Oh! Did anybody see the pumpkin shortage in Europe??? How awful is that!?!? Uh...R&R please! JauntyChick - XOX


	36. Chapter ThirtyFive

Ch. 35

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The next day, I felt a whole lot better. The doctor said I should stay another couple of days but I really wanted to go home. My bed - or what was left of it - was so much better than this one. Greg seemed to have slept in the hospital all night and dad had visited me several times. Mom and Dylan called twice already, Frank and Diane had called, they had taken hold of Rufus while I was in hospital and the team - meaning Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Sara _and_ Grissom - had visited. Greg was still here. I found it really cute that he never left my side all night.

"So, did you get to the lab yet?" I asked, finally sitting at ease in my chair.

"Why would I go to the lab?" Greg raised his eyebrow.

"Uh, Blue Hawaiian coffee? Believe me, I _know_ you can't survive more than four hours at a time without it."

"Well...Catherine brought some."

"Ha! See? Whoever says you don't learn a lot from working with someone is a liar!"

"Uh...nobody ever said that, Allie."

"Oh, did you see my dad?" I asked, slightly worried. Dad could occasionally not take very kindly to my boyfriends.

"Mm. He seems nice."

"Yeah." I said. I decided to leave it at that. I yawned. I wondered if I had a nasty scar. I pulled my night-gown up slightly and examined my stomach. Yikes-a-bee, it wasn't pretty.

"What _are_ you doing, Al?"

"Nothing!" I snapped my head back. "I just wanted to see if I had a scar."

"Do you?" He tilted his head a little.

"Um..." I lifted it up a little, giving Greg a better view. I thanked God for underwear. He scrunched his face up.

"Eugh." Was all he could say. He said it simply, too. Completely underwhelmed. I was disgusted.

"Is that it?" I shrieked.

"Well...yeah, but it isn't _that_ bad. Could've been worse." He reasoned. I rolled my eyes, pressing down around the wound.

"Honestly, if it hasn't fallen off or isn't covered in blood, you are not impressed."

"True." He smirked, returning to his magazine. I was actually amazed that _he_ himself didn't try and poke at it. "Okay, I'm gonna go...get coffee, get a shower. _Then_ I'm gonna fix my apartment." He got up from the chair and stretched.

"Why do you have to fix your apartment? Is it broken?" I asked, slightly hazy. Probably I was still out of it from the painkillers.

"No. It's warmer than yours, though." He grinned, lopsidedly.

"Is it? My house is fine." I scolded, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Yes...but because I can't move in with you, you're moving in with me." He put his coat on and headed to the door. I could see he was getting impatient.

"What? I can't move in with you!" I said, slightly incredulous.

"Why not?" He stopped at the door, a smile playing lightly on his lips.

"Because! It's...yours!" Was all I could come up with. Classy, Allie. Classy. "Not...not that it's bad. It's nice but it's a dude-flat."

"It's clean! And warm. You need warmth. You're sick."

"Reformed-Sick-Person." I held my hand up. "Anyway, you shouldn't get lumbered with me just cause there's no one else. I can move in with dad if needs be."

"His flat's smaller than mine! Besides...super king-size bed." He rubbed his hands together gleefully. I rolled my eyes.

"No such thing, Sanders." I laughed. He travelled over to me and kissed me, rather well might I add, on the lips. I cleared my throat after we broke apart. "Jeez." Was all I managed. Greg really surprised me. And intrigued me, too...and - much as I hate to say this - I actually thought I was falling for him. The stomach-fluttery thing was still happening whenever he walked in the room. _That_ was weird. I just hoped it wasn't to do with the appendix.

"So...see you later, Moore."

"Mm-hm."

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A few hours later, someone had finally turned my TV on. I must say, the nurses - except Nurse Sullivan, a Swedish girl who kept replacing my magazines every few hours - left a little bit to be desired. Okay, they are extremely busy but one of them did grunt at me when I asked about the painkillers. I just wanted to know when they would be stopping my dosage, as I was getting rather fed up of being 'out-of-it' the whole time. There was a really quiet knock at my door. At first, I thought it was just my head playing tricks on me...then I shook my head.

"Come in." I said, louder than normal. I saw a bouquet of flowers enter the room before the person. Then, the flowers were placed on the table, only to reveal... "Hodges?" I grinned. I certainly hadn't expected this. "What're you doing here?" Stupid question, Allie.

"Uh, bringing you flowers." He stammered. "I thought you'd be asleep."

"Oh. Thank you, they're gorgeous. Uh, roses? Hodges..." I smirked, cocking my head to the side.

"What?" He asked cautiously.

"That's really sweet!" I nodded. He frowned, rolling his eyes.

"You women think everything's sweet. Then you cry..." He shuddered, glancing through my 'get-well-soon' cards.

"I never cry."

"Not what Sanders said...you cried then fell off your chair." He snickered. "Ah, good times..." I laughed.

"Well, I was in pain. What did you expect me to do?" I threw my hands up.

"So. Got a scar?" He asked, sitting right beside me, obnoxiously.

"Nope. Better." I smiled. "It's a wound."

"Show me."

"No way! It's in a bad place and I'm wearing a hospital gown." I thought that would put him off. Then again, I was wearing underwear...

"Aw. Lieutenant Buzzkill." He tutted and picked up my magazine. We sat quietly - him reading and me playing with my MP3 player - for a while and then he flopped the magazine down on the bed, sighing dramatically. "You know what I love?"

"Mm...yourself?"

"Ha!" He scoffed. "No...I really love old, 80s movies. No one knows that about me."

"Yeah, well...nobody really knows anything about you." I said, arching my eyebrows and smiling slightly. "Cause...you're not the most forth-coming about yourself." His face flashed angry for a second but then he just shook his head and started reading again.

"Ask me something."

"What?"

"Anything!" He threw the magazine on the end of my bed. I thought for a second.

"What is your life story?"

"What? What kind of question is that?"

"I'm curious...you told me to ask you _anything_. Believe me, I could've asked worse." I laughed. He scowled then sighed - again - dramatically. He should've been an actor.

"Okay, I was born around, uh, thirty years ago. My mom's name is Phyllis and my dad's name is Norman. Exciting stuff, huh?"

"Okay...tell me other stuff."

"I quit school when I was fifteen and a half cause this _chick_ stole my money and ran off with my best friend."

"Uh-huh. This _chick_...your girlfriend?"

"Maybe. Her name was Melanie." He looked at the ceiling. I have to admit...much as he irked me, Hodges was uberly intriguing.

"Was she nice?"

He glared at me. "She _stole_ my money and _ran off_ with my best friend. They're married now, apparently. So, no...not nice."

"Yikes. What about your brother?"

"You know that story. He's _the_ Hodges. Successful, popular, married..."

"Hodges, I don't know you very well, but I have a hypothesis." I stated, sitting up. It caused me less pain than usual so I liked that as a sign.

"Okay. Tell me." He crossed his arms and Sat back, fully interested.

"You want a girl." I smiled. His expression said confirmed my suspicions. He looked as though someone had just stood all over him in pointy shoes. "Aha! I knew it!"

"I do not!"

"Yes, you do! Oh, this is great. I have just the girl for you...uh...you like blondes, right?"

"I- No! No, no, no! You do not set me up!" He stood up, shocked. "I mean - look at you! For a-a life partner - Greg Sanders? Allie. I like you, like a sister and I trust you -" Yikes! Hodges actually likes someone. Me! Like a sister? Wow. That really did amaze me. I was secretly pleased, too. "But no way would I let anyone set me up."

"Two weeks." I said, smirking.

"Excuse me?"

"Two weeks. Give me two weeks and I shall find you the absolute girl of your dreams."

I could see the clogs in his brain slowly turning until they hit a realization. "I-I...fine. I like blondes, dark eyes and they have to be short."

"Great. I actually think I know someone." I mentally jumped about. "Oh, but wait!"

"Oh, what!?" He snapped. Hodges-snapping was different to anybody-else-snapping in the way that we were all just so used to it.

"You might have to wait until I get out of hospital...and back to work."

"Fine." He got his coat, a tiny upside-down-frown - yes, a smile! - on his lips. "Take it easy." He mumbled and waltzed out.

"Jeez." I sighed. I hoped Greg would be back soon cause I was really beginning to miss real conversations. I would have liked to find out more about Hodges, but that'd have to wait.

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**A/N:** Okay...I'm setting Hodges up with someone. If anyone _wants_ a cameo and they're blonde with dark eyes - contact me! Don't just sit there and sit and wonder 'What if...' - get in there and review! Be sure to include a tiny description of yourself, looks personality...all that craic. Please and thanks, of course. Now, hope you liked. I'm trying with the fluff...1,574 words in this chapter. R&R! JauntyChick XOX


	37. Chapter ThirtySix

Ch. 36 (Allie POV - hope you all like it!)

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Hospital TV seemed a lot better than regular TV. It was practically the same stuff, except you appreciate it more. I missed food. There wasn't much food allowed for appendicitis patients. Water, water and more water, really. Greg waltzed in, carrying a small bag of...well, I wasn't sure what.

"Greg!" I shouted. As you can tell, I was pleased to see Greg. He stopped in his tracks as if shocked, then shrugged.

"Okay." He smiled mischievously. "So, you like this room?"

"Uh...it's okay. Kinda cold, though."

"Mm." He nodded, sitting down at my table and perching his head in his hands. "Okay. This-" He pulled a small bucket with a tiny stick coming out of it from the bag. "Is a good-luck tree! It's something to do with enhancing your health vibes or something..." He shook his head, confused. "Anyway. You look nice."

"I'm wearing a hospital gown and I haven't even _seen_ a hairbrush in the last couple of days. In fact, I might go for a shower some evening. Could you ask a nurse for me?"

"Sure." He sat up at the top of my bed, oddly close to me. "I fixed the apartment. Your, uh, Frank says Rufus is fine. Diane sent you $20 to spend in the hospital shop. Grissom says hi, Brass hopes you're feeling better, Hodges-"

"Oh, my gosh! Hodges was in with me! He brought flowers - look!" I pointed to the flowers on my bedside-stand which were settled in a lovely glass vase brought by Catherine.

"Hodges?" Greg blinked, incredulous.

"Yep."

"Wow. He says thank you. Should I ask?"

"I'm setting him up with someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know yet! He's giving me two weeks once I get back to work."

"Nice. Hey, you haven't seen my phon here have you?"

"No." I frowned, looking around my persona in case I was maybe lying on it. Unlikely, but still. "Where did you last have it?"

"Here. I was sitting with you and then- boom. Gone."

"I'll keep an eye out." I promised. "How's my lab?"

"_Our_ lab is great. Broke a case today, amazingly enough." He glared at his hand. I took a good look at him, something was a little different about him. Good different.

"You shaved the side of your head again!" I shrieked. I didn't mean to...

"Is it bad?" He furrowed his eyebrows down to the middle of his face.

"No...it's amazing! I've decided I'm getting a new look just as soon as I get outta here."

"Go goth!" Greg widened his eyes. I scowled. "What? You'd look pretty. Well..."

"Im gonna just ignore that comment, Gregory." I laughed. "Greg, tell me about yourself."

"Well, what about me?" He sat back down in the chair.

"I asked Hodges this and he told me about his parents, girlfriend and all...I need to know more about you."

"Okay, I was born on the 24th July, uh, a few decades ago and I have a half-sister, which...you already know. She's pregnant-"

"You're telling me things I know. Just tell me something I don't know."

"I broke my wrist once, falling out of a tree. I used to be in love with Cher and if I didn't work in the lab, I'd work in a DVD shop. Or a record shop." He smiled. "My favourite colour is blue, my favourite food-stuff is bacon, Vans are the best shoe-make in my opinion, the best film ever made - quite possibly - was Labyrinth and AC-DC are no way nearly as good as Van Halen. Oh, I love horror movies. Yourself?"

"Wow. I had appendicitis the other day, I'm secretly still in love with John Cusack from his days of 'The Sure Thing'. If I didn't work in the lab I'd love to work in a library. My favourite colour is blue also, although I like pink, yellow and green, too. I hate black. And grey. The best food-stuff ever is a cheeseburger, I agree about Vans although they have to be black and white. The best film ever was Singin' In The Rain and Fall Out Boy are definitely the best band going around." I said all that in one breath and was really proud.

"Complicated little gal, aren't you?" He smiled.

"Oh, also...if I was a guy, I'd really be envious of your hair." I winked.

"Aw, thank you. That really means a lot."

"So. Anything else."

"My first girlfriend was Norwegian. Olga, obviously. Little short blonde thing. Scary as hell, though. Very strict." He made a what-was-I-thinking face at me and giggled.

"Jake, looked like Nick only stupid and had _way_ more ego problems. His favourite thing about our relationship was my compact mirror."

"Ha!" Greg laughed. "Can't say that about me."

"Yeah, you who dies your hair every three weeks. How about punk?"

"Huh?"

"Punk hair?"

"Like a mow-hawk?" He smirked. I glared, of course.

"No! Like a choppy fringe."

"I...think you're onto something, Sherlock."

"Excellent. Now, find me a nurse please. I'm just about ready for that shower."

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The week after, I was finally discharged. I couldn't believe it! After days of moaning, begging and generally being annoying - they finally let me out! I smiled, pulling on my jacket which was getting a little small for my liking. My surgical scar fitted in nicely with the one on my neck from Michael Loggins. I shuddered at the thought. Mom, Dad, Dylan _and_ Frank all called me constantly. The team were great and very supportive. Including Hodges. Greg had not left my side the entire week I was in hospital. Grissom had been very generous and gives him flexible hours. Basically, whenever he could pull himself outta the hospital, come on in and work! I had heard something of Sara going a little bit mad and shouting and Grissom and Hodges again. Oh, Ecklie was gone, too. He'd been replaced by some guy called Victor Smith. Supposedly much nicer and far cooler - Greg's words, not mine - than Ecklie. To be honest, an angry fish in a small glass was nicer than Ecklie. He'd never given _me _grief until the other day, which technically wasn't my fault. Nor was it Nick's, though. Doctor Pendanski bundled me into the wheelchair and told me to keep it, just for being a nice patient. Then again, the other few patients I had seen had done nothing except shout abuse at him for being too slow with their medications. Greg quickly took hold of my chair and I couldn't help but smile at his over-protectiveness. He really was sweet. Occasionally, mind.

"Now, don't strain yourself too much and wait at _least_ a week before going back to work. Mr. Sanders, do _not_ let her get stressed. Keep her in warm conditions, also. I know it's October and all, but that doesn't mean it'll get cold all of a sudden. Now, be free!" Doctor Pendanski said - all in one breath! - excitedly.

"Thank you, Doctor." I grinned and shuffled in my seat. "Gregory, go forth." I laughed and Greg did as he was told.

"Bye-bye!" The Doctor waved us off until we were just at the exit.

"Okay, Allie...you cold? Warm? Hungry?" Greg asked as we stopped outside his car. He opened one of his back doors and took hold of my hand so as to pull me up. I stood willingly as he fixed the wheelchair to fit in his car.

"I'm fine, thanks. You know, you wanna watch out."

"What for?" He frowned, getting slightly annoyed with the chair. He shook it and finally set it back down on the ground, kicking it lightly. I laughed.

"What for!?" I scoffed. "You're getting to be more stressed than I was. Greg, you'll get yourself a hernia." I said, serious. He tutted.

"Hernia's are for girls." He laughed, heading back to the chair. I knelt down so as I was just inches away from his face. I looked right in his eyes as I flipped the little switch on the wheelchair that put it down. I kissed him and stood up again.

"Seriously, take a load off, Greg. You _need_ to relax." I placed my hand on his shoulder. He really worries me sometimes. It's as if he takes too much on at the one time. He shook his head and started fishing around in his pockets. I assume he was looking for his keys, so I couldn't help but grin as I pulled them out of my own pockets. "Looking for these?" I shuffled my feet.

"Allie!" He shouted, amused and just a little curious. "How did you _do_ that?"

"I have my ways." I actually wasn't sure how I did it. I was tired and sure that Greg wouldn't be driving. He was tired and obviously had been working too much. "Get in." I said, opening the driver door. Suddenly, he grabbed my hand.

"Oh, no. You're _not_ driving." He said, stifling a yawn.

"See?"

"See what?"

"You're tired! You shouldn't be driving." I could see he was about to protest so I raised my voice an octave or two. "I'm fine, other than the scar. _You_ are the one who needs a proper sleep. I mean, _how_ many shifts have you worked, Greg? You're tired. Grissom's probably got you working like an ass. Sit down and be quiet." At some point during out, uh, talk, I had chauffeured him into the passenger side. He hadn't even said a peep as he buckled himself in.

"This is wrong, you know. I have issues about sick people doing things."

"Ever hear the song 'Shut Up and Drive'? Yeah, shut up and do what passengers do. Passenge, or something." I turned on the ignition and, after a few minutes of complaining - Greg - and eye-rolling - me -, we arrived back at Greg's house. I hadn't been here often, as I never had any reason to. It was more of an apartment than a house, to be honest.

"So, uh, watch out for Alistair. He's a bit nosy." Ah, yes. Alistair Steadman. Greg's annoying neighbour. I had heard a severe amount about him. Recently, though, he had become less irksome towards Greg after Greg had saved his dog - a Doberman pinscher, no less - from getting run over by a delivery van. In turn, he only played his music _really_ loud two nights a week as opposed to seven. Poor Greg hadn't seen this as an improvement, though.

"It'll be fine. Come on." I pulled him to the front door and he unlocked it and as we walked up the stairs I noted a giant crystal vase in the corner. It was pretty. I made a mental note to investigate it tomorrow. Greg opened his door and we walked in. I was shocked at how nice and, well, c_lean_ everything was. His house was warm - _much_ warmer than my own -, his couch was comfy - _much_ comfier than mine! - and his fridge was packed - _not_ like my own...maybe Greg was right about this. It was a good idea. I grinned and plopped down on the couch.

"You like?" Greg leant against the back of the couch - kind of...hovering over me - and smirked, knowingly. It wasn't my fault I was stubborn and liked to argue my point about these type of things. I had to, was all.

"Yeah...I like." I looked up and winked at him. Then I cleared my throat. "The house is cool, too."

He laughed. "So, I'm gonna get something to eat...uh, you hungry yet?"

"I'd like some soup. Chicken and vegetable, I think." I looked at my nails. Greg nodded and swanned into his kitchen. Underneath his table was filled with literature. As I had figured, Greg read a lot more books than he let on. Usually, he mocked me for always reading a book at lunchtime. I grinned and turned the TV on. Not five minutes later, Greg entered with a tray carrying macaroni and cheese - for him - and a mug of soup and a ham baguette. I smiled, impressed. "Yikes, Greg. You didn't have to do all that."

"I didn't. This," He pointed to the macaroni. "Was frozen. Microwave in three and a half minutes. Just pour water onto a sachet in a mug and - voila!" He snapped his fingers. "Soup. The baguette thing, however, was all me." He set the tray onto the table and stole the remote from me as he sat down _right_ next to me.

"Thanks. I appreciated that!" I snarked, taking a bite out of the baguette. It. Was. Amazing! The best thing I'd ever tasted. I made a small, thankful noise and Greg laughed.

"That okay for you, Al?" He flicked it to MTV quickly. I took another bite.

"Holy...Greg. This is delicious. When the hell did you learn to make this?" I asked, incredulous. This dude really amazed me.

"Oh...couple of years ago. The sauce is barbecue sauce mixed with mayonnaise and tomato ketchup." He smirked. I frowned. It didn't sound nice, yet...wow. I took another bite. A while later, we were chilling out on the couch watching some strange film of Greg's. My phone rang. It was Dad. I tutted.

"Yellow?" Damn. That was something Greg taught me. Bad habit.

"**Hi Allie. How are you feeling? I heard you were home so I checked and you weren't there, so I immediately panicked and went to the hospital and are you okay?"**

"Uh, yeah." I laughed. "I'm great...I'm actually at Greg's house. He's letting me stay here for a while til I'm back at work. It's, uh, warmer." I had stood up and started pacing now. I could hear my dad frown on the other end of the phone.

"**Oh. Right, then. Well, your dog's fine. Mom and Dylan wanted to tell you that the man who's field you generally camp out in is gone for the next week. Some sort of Halloween convention. He says you can use away at it. Where is Greg?"**

"He's here. Beside me. We're trying to watch a film." I never bothered emphasizing 'trying' cause I knew he'd get the hint. "So, when is he going?"

"**Tomorrow. I don't suppose you'll be up to it, and, you know, Dylan isn't there so you may as well call him and say thanks, but-"**

"I'll do it!" I shouted. Dad scoffed so I rolled my eyes.

"**Allie, you may be 25, you may work in a crime lab, but there is no **_**way**_** I am letting you go out there on your own. I have this thing to do, so I can't go..."**

"What _thing_?"

"**A...well, like a party. Only it's on a boat. And it lasts five days."**

"Oh, well...Greg!" I shouted and Greg actually jumped out of his seat, dropping the remote control he'd been tossing up in the air and catching for the last hour or so.

"What?" He asked, startled. I laughed.

"Nothing. Uh, Dad!" I shouted quietly this time. He made a derisive noise at the back of his throat.

"**What?"**

"Greg. He'll go with me. Satisfied?"

"Go where with you?" Greg asked, sitting on the arm of the couch. I smiled feebly at him.

"**Okay...I, hold on...I've gotta go. Just...be careful, okay? I love you."**

"Yeah, yeah. I will. Love you, too. Bye." I clicked the phone off, sighing a relieved sigh. "How do you feel about camping?"

"I...I've never been. Why do you ask?" Greg watched me cautiously as I stood up on my tiptoes and hugged him.

"Cause I have a feeling that's what we'll be doing this weekend."

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**A/N:** Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait. 2, 610 words, though, has to account for something :)

Please R&R and, uh, it's my birthday this Wednesday - yes, Halloween!!! - and I hear reviews are the gift that keep on giving so...have a wee click at the button down there. Thankies ;) Oh, I'll try and do some GSR this week, too. Toodles!


	38. Chapter ThirtySeven

Ch. 37 (NOT Allie POV for the first part. Only after the lab scene. I'll put a reminder just in case it gets confusing. Enjoy it :)

A few day later, in the lab, Grissom was sat in his office staring at screen. Only problem was...the screen was blank. All he wanted was peace at his work. A chance to do his job and do it right. He didn't actually _need_ Sara there bugging him and snapping at him for not saying the right thing. Now, though..._now_ she has the audacity to ignore him. In the break room, evidence room, lab - wherever. She just plain-old blanked him. He sighed, heavily. Nick walked in, hands-on-hips, serious expression. He meant business.

"Man, you have to stop doing this!" He half-yelled. Grissom frowned.

"Doing what, Nick? My job?" He asked, pointing to the screen.

Nick furrowed his brows, taking a seat. "And I bet it's blank, huh?" He twisted the monitor round to face him. His concerns were confirmed. He scratched the top of his head, yawning. "Look, this is your personal life, Griss, and I respect that...but when Sara starts bitchin' at me for things I did _not_ and never would do, then that becomes a whole different matter to me." Nick let it all out in one breath and waited for a response.

Instead, he got a 'hmm' and a nod. He scoffed. "Grissom..."

"Yes, Nick?" Grissom answered curtly.

"Go talk to her. Be nice, tell her you like her, too and clear things up. If not for you, then for the rest of us who have a job to do." Nick said, calmly before he got up and walked out, leaving Grissom in a quandary.

He stood up suddenly and headed for the lab. Hodges was sat at one of the desks.

"Where's Alison?" Grissom snapped. The lab-rat turned round quick-snap.

"She's, uh...um..." For once Hodges was entirely shocked at his boss's entrance. Grissom scowled.

"Here or not?"

"Not."

"Fine." Grissom left the room and went to the evidence room. Nick, Warrick and Sara were seated there, not speaking and frowning at the desk. "Sara. I need a word." He folded his arms and glanced at the floor. Nick and Warrick winked at each other, yet still frowning, as Sara got out of her seat and marched toward Grissom.

"You two go and find Allie."

"But-"

"Now!"

Sara Sidle sat in her chair, fidgeting. She never fidgeted. In fact, she desperately tried hard to _never_ fidget unless the situation was dire. Then again, this was a dire situation on anyone's terms. Grissom had been walking around the room non-stop for at least ten minutes before he finally gave a sigh and sat down.

"Why are you bullying your co-workers, Sara?" Okay...not the route he wanted to go down, but nevertheless.

"I wasn't bullying him, Gil, I just...haven't had the best week." She smiled pitifully. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. Grissom rubbed his temples.

"Nick said that you...bitched at him. What was it about?"

"I just - he said something, not even aimed at me and it just irritated me, I guess. I said I was sorry." Sara raised her eyebrows. "Look, I'd better take that week off that you all think would be good for me. I'm sure it'll do wonders for me so I guess-"

"You're right."

"Uh, thank you?" Sara faked a laugh. To be honest, this whole situation made her nervous and uncomfortable. She stood up and moved her hair out of the way.

"No...I mean about...that other thing." Grissom looked at the wall. Sara opened her mouth to say something but the words escaped her. "You're right."

"Oh."

"Sara, you cannot let your emotions take control of you. Nick is your friend. Go apologise and come back." He waved her off but she remained in the same place a few moments later when he finally looked at her.

"I...am not going anywhere." She folded her arms and sat down. "You're right. We have to talk this out." Grissom mentally kicked himself and turned to face the wall again. It seemed to comfort him. Maybe it was the serene pale-blue or the way the light ricocheted off of it. "I love you and you...what, you bury your head in the sand?"

"I'm not good with my feelings, Sara."

"See? That is exactly it. I-I love you and you just infuriate me sometimes. How do you feel?"

"I feel..." He could just say cold and cop-out now. Better just to tell her the story, he decided. "My dad died when I was eleven. My mom was so upset that she just...she moved out of their room and into mine. She left a present under the tree every year just in case he might..." Grissom trailed off, swallowing. Sara's heart constricted and she blinked. "I had a girlfriend when I was nineteen. Her name was Laura. We talked about everything. She shared my love of bugs and I just liked listening to her, the way she spoke. That was enough for me. Then, about eight months later...it was January. She got tuberculosis. Never made it to February." Grissom turned round to face Sara. Her face was that of concern and sadness.

"I-I'm so sorry...I had no idea." She said in words just above a whisper. "That's why..."

"I don't open up to anyone because I choose not to, Sara. I just don't have any reason to." He sighed. "Nothing to do with Laura." Sara was astounded. She'd never have imagined something like that to happen to Grissom. He never spoke of Laura and she'd never have suspected.

"Gil, one bad experience shouldn't put you off for a lifetime." She continued. Then she stopped. What else was there to say? "I'm gonna go, now. Sorry for bothering you. And I will...apologise to Nick, I mean." With that in mind, Sara left the room. She never got to hear Grissom utter 'I love you, too'.

(ALLIE POV!!!)

I opened Greg's door to find Nick and Warrick standing there, the latter agape. Nick mouthed 'Told you' to Warrick and folded his arms. Warrick rolled his eyes and turned back to me.

"Hey, Al. How are you doing?" He asked, smoothly. Then again, there wasn't one thing that man did that _wasn't_ smooth.

"I'm fine, thanks. I had the best baguette ever earlier." I grinned. I hadn't meant to let the baguette part slip but Warrick just nodded, smiling.

"Good. Tell me-"

"No, no. She won't do it for you." Nick whispered - _loudly_. Warrick tutted and folded his arms. "How would you feel about coming to the lab for a little while with us?"

"Oh, man! What was that? I could've pulled that off ten times over! And then had some left!" Warrick held his hands up, obviously annoyed.

"Oh, shoosh." Nick shooed him away with his hands. Warrick started again.

"Look, you don't have to but Grissom wants you. Seems like an emergency. _Only_ if you think you can handle it."

"Uh, course I can, Warrick. Hold on, though, uh...come in!" I moved over so as the two could enter the room. They honestly reminded me of an old married couple that thought they'd seen too much of each other over the years. Amusing, however. "I had to send Greg off to his bed but-"

"Whoa, whoa..." Nick laughed. "Look at this Warrick, she's only been here five minutes. Already, she has Greg wrapped around her finger. Just like you and the wife."

"Yeah. _Tina_!" Warrick frowned, concealing a smile somehow.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. It sounded very much like Leah on the phone." I had no clue what those two were talking about but I pulled my coat on and took a sheet of paper out of a notebook.

"Well, thank you, boss! Do you have _any_ idea how much stick I took cause of you and your big yap?!" Warrick sat down on one of Greg's three dining chairs. I laughed at them.

"Well, I do apologise." Nick said, sounding _exactly_ the way Warrick just did. Freaky, huh? "Anyway...you remember my old girlfriend?" Warrick scoffed.

"Yeah, my memory may need a little boost on that subject." He muttered loud enough so it would come back and bite him on the ass. Nick looked shocked.

"How very, very dare you." He said, a hint of amusement behind his voice. I could tell they weren't really fighting...if they were, I'd have known it. "Anyway, you told her - and I specifically remember this one - that she looked just like my three previous girlfriends!"

"She did!" Warrick suddenly jumped out of the chair, eyebrows raised and hands way out in front of himself. Nick shook his head, staring at me.

"Do you believe this guy?!" He pointed to Warrick, who was frantically walking around the room shaking his head.

"Uh...we ready?" I stammered. I wasn't too sure what to say. I left a note for Greg on the bedroom door. I opened it to see him taking up only a tiny bit of the gigantic bed. He had a pair of pyjama bottoms on and one of his old punk-rock T-shirts. I smiled and my stomach fluttered again. This was getting beyond ridiculous but what could I do about it? I quickly shut the door and waked up to Warrick and Nick who had seemed to fall out, sulk and then make-up again all in a matter of moments. We walked out and I closed the door, making sure to lock it behind me. I sincerely didn't want Greg getting stolen on me. I wondered what was up with Grissom. We all packed ourselves into Warrick's car. I sat in the backseat and buckled myself in.

"So, how do you like living with Sanders?" Warrick asked me, looking at me from the mirror above his head. I nodded.

"It's great. He's a brilliant cook from what I can tell." I shouldn't have said that. I should _not_ have said that! "Just, uh, don't tell anyone I told you that."

"Don't worry about it." Warrick smiled. Nick had decided he was going to drive. He turned the radio on, causing Warrick to grumble. I laughed.

"Man, will you just chill? It's only the radio. Hardly gonna make your head explode. Limbs fall off..." Nick shook his head. The car turned quiet for a few moments.

"So, do you two ever agree?" I asked, breaking the silence. They tutted in unison. Freaky...

"Sometimes." Nick smiled.

"Yeah...when _he_ isn't being an ass." Warrick mumbled. We got to the lab and Nick parked the car.

"Hey, why don't me, you and _Tina_ have dinner tomorrow night? I'm off and I think so are you, so..." Nick turned the ignition off and handed Warrick the keys.

"Yeah. Good idea. She's an _amazing_ cook, Nick." He smiled, getting a strange loved-up look in his eyes. Nick nodded and got out of the car, oblivious to his friend's current state. I patted Warrick on the arm and got out of the car. Back at the lab, I walked into Grissom's office and he was sat, staring at the wall as he did sometimes. I mean, it was a nice wall but I just could not for the life of me see what he saw in it. He stared for thirty-six minutes once. That was a bad, bad day.

"You rang?" I tapped the door before I came in. He sighed and shook his head. "Bad day?"

"Yes." He muttered.

"Sara?"

"Of course."

"Mm."

"I nearly told her, Allie." He said, coolly. He had never called me Allie before. Always Alison. This made me smile. I remember once I had told him all my friends called me Allie and he should do the same. It was only a suggestion but he smiled and walked out of my lab.

"But...?"

"I chickened out of it." He took his glasses off. "I told her about my past, but I just couldn't say anymore."

"You know, I'm beginning to think Hodges was right." I sat down in front of him. Confused, he turned right round to face me.

"What about?"

"The intricacies of your nature can never be something-or-other-ed by just the one woman..." I couldn't remember quite the whole quote, but it was something along those lines. "Explored? Tamed?" I asked but Grissom wasn't the biggest help. "Well, whatever it was...he was right. You are a confusing man." He raised his brows but said nothing and swivelled his chair so as he could get a better view of the wall. "You know..." I stood up. "I can't help you with this." Oh, no. I was in danger of sounding like Dr. Phil again. Something I sincerely didn't want. "Until you help yourself." Oh, man! I shuddered. "See, you need to tell Sara what you think of her." At least I never said 'tell her how you feel!'. That would've been bad. "Just come out with it."

"I'm pushing my late forties, I doubt now is the time for that." Grissom said, a lot calmer than before. I was surprised by his words. He didn't seem like the kind of guy to be let a thing like age get in his way.

"You are wrong, Grissom! _Now_ is _exactly_ the time to tell her! Where is she?"

"Apologizing to Nick."

"What did she do to Nick?"

"They're on a case. They had words, she took it badly. Simple as." He spoke as if it wasn't just 'simple as'. This was all so unlike Grissom anyway. He's a complex man and yet really all that was wrong with him was a fear of love...well, something along those lines. "Thank you for coming. How's the operation?"

"It's great. I'm gonna go get a soda. Want something?" I already knew the answer.

"No thank you." He sat back farther in his chair. I nodded.

Maybe he wasn't such a complicated guy after all.

I gathered Sara Sidle and pulled her into Grissom's office. I had a severe sense of deja vu and for some reason it seemed as though I was some sort of weird counsel for Grissom and Sara. Piggy-in-the-middle, if you will. Whether they liked it or not, this thing they had was getting fixed. Today. I opened the door and pushed Sara in first, I looked behind me to make sure no one was coming and then I pulled the door shut behind me. I sat Sara down in the seat in front of Grissom. They were seriously annoying me now.

"Okay," I sighed, then inhaled before exhaling again. "You two have some major issues here; She loves you, you love her but you can't seem to get the words out. Sidle - you think he has a cold-fish persona, no offence Grissom - her words, not mine -, and I think you two are a great couple. Sara, you've gotten all edgy and angry because of this coldness towards you and Grissom - you see the problems she has, right? I mean, you can see why she's upset, yes? Good. Now, tell her what you think of her - and don't come out until this is resolved. Good luck and just...don't screw this up, please? I think too highly of you both to have your ideal relationship quashed in front of my very eyes." I impressed and shocked myself. I had gotten that all out in lone breath and managed to leave the room before either of them spoke.

(Not Allie POV)

Sara stood nervously in front of Grissom, shuffling her feet on the ground. "So..." She smiled. Grissom had finally pried his eyes away from the wall, she noted. "Allie says you have something to tell me." She spoke quietly and deeply. There was a five minute silence in which Sara could feel her stomach almost twist itself round and round. She strongly dislike the nervous butterflies when they made their rare appearances. Grissom finally glanced up and half-smiled.

"Sara, I..."

"Gil?"

"I find this very difficult to say..."

"Take your time."

Just then, Allie bounded in. Grissom felt himself tense up again. "Well...resolved yet?"

"We were just getting to that part." Grissom put his glasses back on. Sara smiled, yet she looked close to tears. Allie walked back out of the room. Grissom stood up and Sara did the same. "What I suppose I was trying to say is...I...I love you, Sara Sidle." He said, only in a really hushed tone. Sara swallowed. "I'm just sorry that I hadn't said it before." Sara smiled. This time, she knew he meant it. Not that he had ever said anything like that to her before. She grinned, walking up to him and enclosing him in a hug.

"Grissom, I am so sorry for acting the way I did. I know you have issues with your feelings and all, but..." Sara squeezed Grissom as he held her back. Allie walked past and smirked. Her work here was done. Or so she thought.

"Sara...what...what do we do now?" Grissom pulled away. Sara smiled, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek.

"Anything you want." She stood back a little, still over-whelmed. She knew Grissom cared she just never thought he'd say it.

"Okay...I have a case to solve and then...would you like to go and get something to eat?" He cocked his eyebrow questioningly.

"Gilbert Grissom, I would absolutely love to." She smiled broadly. Her whole outlook had gone from bad to worse in a matter of moments. The man she loved just told her he loves her, too and she couldn't be happier. Even Grissom had to admit, there was a strange feeling of contentedness floating in the air. He just hoped it would last.

(Allie POV)

I walked back to the lab and found Hodges with _my_ stereo listening it. And he said he didn't like it, the liar! The lab wasn't ready for my brand of music, indeed. Ha! I waltzed into the lab and sidled up beside him.

"Hey, Hodges!" I said - loudly - into his ear. He jumped. It was oh-so-easy to scare him.

"Moore! Do not do that to me! I am _trying_ to break Grissom's case. I find it very difficult to do so when random lab-rats are jumping in and clambering all over the place." He placed a hand over his heart and sighed. "By the way," He smirked. "Good to have you back in the lab. You're looking well." I fought a grin. That was the biggest compliment I had ever received from him. Well, except the I-Like-You-But-Dear-God-Don't-Tell-Anyone comment from the hospital.

"Thanks." I picked up a sheet of paper. "So, uh, I hear we've got a new day-shift supervisor."

"Mm-hm. Ecklie got fired." He arched an eyebrow. "DUI, if you don't mind."

"Really..."

"Yep. This new guy is desperate to meet you and Sanders."

"Is he now?"

"Uh-huh. I...Oh, my God!"

"What?"

"I broke the case!" Hodges jumped up, grinning like the Cheshire cat. "Happy Halloween!" He smiled at me - by the way, weird! I had never seen him so excited. Repeat: Weird! - and shot up out of the seat.

"Whoa, whoa up there, Fella. Firstly, Halloween is next week. My birthday." I winked. "Secondly, run it again. One can never be too sure."

"Oh, yeah. Sure." He muttered, getting back into his seat. Like I say, a lab-rat's work is never done.

**A/N: Phew. Please R&R! I will give you a cake if you do. 3, 193 words in the chapter, People! Surely that deserves some recognition! Especially with the GSR which was so, so difficult to write! Anyways...hope you liked. Oh, and what is all this chat of Hodges and the sharpie? **

JauntyChick XOX


	39. Chapter ThirtyEight

Ch. 38 (Allie POV and hopefully good amounts of fluff! Enjoy yourselves ;)

Warrick dropped me off about an hour or so later by which time I was just ready for sleep. I walked up the stairwell to find Blink 182 being played _really_ loud. I assumed this was Alistair. I ran up the stairs past Greg's apartment and knocked on the noisy door. Five minutes later, a tall man with glasses and smoothed back thick hair smiled at me. He had a plain white shirt, blue tie and a sweater-vest on over his shirt. His trousers had an impeccable crease through them. I hoped and prayed this wasn't Alistair Steadman.

"Hi there...you don't know me, but I'm Greg from downstairs...uh, I'm his girlfriend." I couldn't help but think all those words fitted together nicely. I mentally slapped myself.

"Oh, right." The man smiled. He had a friendly face and a held himself well. Very good posture, I noted. "Very nice to meet you. You're taller than he said."

"I- he told you about me?" I leant against the oak architrave. This intrigued me, because as far as I knew, Greg and Alistair hadn't been on the best of terms. Although...Greg had never voiced his gripe towards Alistair. I smiled.

"Oh, yes! He mentions you often. Would you like to come in?" He stood back and allowed me to enter. I shook my head, smiling politely.

"No thanks..."

"Well, um, are you sure?" He took his glasses off and wiped them clean, placing them elegantly back on his face when he was finished. "I was just about to make myself dinner. I'm an accountant, so I have to work late. A lot."

"Oh. Thank you so much for the offer but I was just heading to bed." I bobbed my head indecisively.

"That's right. How are you feeling after the surgery?"

"I-" Holy cow. Greg must've been really close friends with this guy if he told him about my appendix. Or...lack there of. "I feel amazing, thank you." I laughed, nervously. "So, have you and Greg known each other long?"

"Um...not really. I only moved in a few months ago. I have this, um, tenant if you will." The man - I was sure this could not have been Alistair - came out into the hall and shut the door behind him. I moved back a little. This was a very cramped hall. "I tend to not to let anyone know about him." He threw his hands up immediately after he finished his sentence. "Not-not that I am...embarrassed or anything. I just...he plays this music really loud and-and there is nothing I can do or say he just- he never listens to anyone. He's old. Well, not ancient but he's set in his ways. It's better to let people think that it's me who plays it loud. I wouldn't, but."

"I see." I grinned. Obviously my little Greg had been mistaken. "So...haven't you tried kicking him out?" A huge laugh emitted from the guy.

"I couldn't. He wouldn't even get up off his seat to help me make the dinner. He goes out all day and comes back in the evening for an hour. He doesn't even live here! I mean...look, I'm so sorry for all this rambling on. I'm Alistair, by the way." He held out his hand for me to shake.

"Allie. Moore." I took his hand. It was extremely soft for a guy. He laughed, shuffling his feet. "What exactly do you mean by 'he doesn't even live here'?"

"Oh...Uh, he just visits, plays his music - loudly - and then leaves. He lives with his brothers I think." Just then, a short, rotund man with white hair and a clean-shaven look left the apartment.

"Night, Tweety." He grumbled and started down the stairs. I noticed a large Metallica tattoo he had on his arm. I frowned.

"Tweety?" I asked.

"Yeah. That's his name for me." He gritted his teeth. Blink 182 were still merrily playing away in the background. "Oh, shoot!" He looked at his watch. "I have a meeting...I'm so sorry. Look, um, tell Greg I said hello and...were you looking for something?" He rushed around at his front door, pulling his jacket off the hat-stand. Suddenly, he clapped his hands and the music stopped. I jumped a little. "Sorry. That's for Greg. All he has to do downstairs is clap. Really easy. Sorry for the interruptions, Miss Moore."

"That's okay...uh, I was coming to ask you about it anyway. Thanks for your help." I started walking off.

"Hey!"

"Yes?"

"You and Greg...is it serious?"

"Uh..." I trailed off, grinning like an idiot. Man, I hated it when that happened. "Yes. I think-well, hope." I laughed and Alistair nodded.

"Good. That guy _really_ needs a girl!" He made a prayer-like hand gesture and pointed it towards the ceiling. I had to admit, I agreed with him.

I left Alistair at Greg's door and I unlocked it. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I answered it. My dad...again.

"Hello?"

"**Hey. I forgot to tell you about this party." **I rolled my eyes. **"Jimmy-"**

"Jimmy? Mead? Wow. You two getting pretty friendly?"

"**Yep. Mom and me couldn't be happier. She's coming to the boat-party, too. So's Suzanne." **He sighed.

"Suzanne? Who's that?"

"**She's...a **_**friend**_** of mine."**

"A friend?"

"**Mm. Listen, about the whole camping thing...I'm sure Greg and you will be fine together. Just...take care, okay?"**

"Yeah, yeah. Tell me about the boat thing when you get back, okay?" I opened Greg's bedroom door to see him not on the bed but on the floor. I gasped. "Oh...gotta go. Love you, have fun. Say hi to Grandma. Oh, and Jimmy and Michelle." I waited til he said goodbye and then I hung up. I rushed over to Greg. "Greg, honey, are you alright?" I knelt down beside him. He stirred slightly. I put a hand over my heart.

"Hey." He mumbled, shooing me away.

"Greg...why are you on the floor, honey?" I teased, pulling him up onto the bed. He mumbled something else incoherent as I pulled the top of the cover down. "Yep. I agree wholeheartedly." I laughed, turning him onto his side and placing him on the middle of the giant bed."

"Allie..." He groaned. I smiled at him.

"Yes?"

"Hi..." I could tell he was really tired, considering the fact that he hadn't taken the cheesy grin off his face since I pulled him up.

"Hi, you." I got up and went into the en-suite to get changed. I wondered why he didn't have a real bathroom. I entered the room several minutes later in my blue pyjama bottoms and my minty-green tank-top. Greg had rolled onto his back as opposed to his side and I smirked and climbed into the bed. I sighed contentedly as my stomach rolled around again. Sometimes I could've slapped Greg for making that happen to me. The next thing I knew, my eyelids felt very heavy as I yawned. I rolled over Greg's arm and rested my head on his chest. Then I went into a deep sleep.

**A/N: Hello everyone! Hope that satisfied you're need for fluff. 1, 201 words. Just thought as well that we needed an explanation as to Jimmy's where-abouts. By the way...I have a scientific experiment for you all to try: Put your natural face on and don't smile or anything. Now, slap yourself...done? Okay. Now slap yourself but smile while you do it. There is a reason for this, by the way...tell me if it hurt less or more when you smiled. :)**

**Please R&R and don't slap too hard. ;) **


	40. Chapter ThirtyNine

Ch. 39 (Guess who's POV - Allie!)

I woke up the next morning and Greg was still fast asleep with my head on his chest. I grinned and sat up. Greg opened his eyes.

"Morning." He smiled lopsidedly. I yawned and stretched before re-resting my head on his shoulder. He

shrugged and placed an arm over me.

"Morning to you, too." I yawned again. I felt really good today and I really wanted to get back to work...was there really anything stopping me? Oh, yeah. Camping. I shot up. "Greg! We have to buy a tent! Oh, my God! A-and the, uh..." I got out of the bed. Greg sat up and rubbed his eye.

"Don't you worry about anything. Besides...it might rain." He muttered, stretching out. Lab workers weren't generally used to this kind of hectic-sleeping pattern.

"Yeah...but we need the stuff. I have to get food ready and...Grissom and Sara! Man, you're right." I shot out into the bathroom, having just remembered that I had to go and call in on those two. I pulled my tank top off and locked the door. I changed out of the rest of the clothes and headed in for a shower. After drying myself off and my hair, I sorted my fringe and put on a new set of clothes. I had this great summer dress with stripes on it and these amazing bell-bottom jeans. White sandals just set it off beautifully. I had forgotten to pack jackets and stuff, though. I opened the door only to find Greg right in front of it. I shrieked as he lifted me up in his arms and flung me - with gay abandon - onto the bed. He sat himself right next to me and pulled off my shoes.

"You...are..._supposed_ to be...relaxing!" He pulled the cover over me and kissed me. I placed my hands on his face before he pulled away, rolled over and turned on his TV. He grinned foolishly, turning it to the cartoon network. SpongeBob Squarepants. I laughed. Funnily enough, I had always pictured him as the type to watch it. "What?" He asked, face serious.

"Mm, nothing." I turned onto my side. "Hey, Alistair from upstairs says hi."

"How-what?"

"Yep. He says I was taller than you'd said."

Greg groaned, turning the TV up. "I never said."

"He told me about the little guy that visits and plays loud rock music, you know."

"Yeah. I know."

"Short little dude. Kind of...fat." I rested me arm over Greg's stomach.

"I know that, too. He packs might punch, though."

I looked up. "What?"

"You remember when I came into the lab one day a little over six months ago?" I nodded. "Well, it was dark, there was a noise outside. I went out there, he mistook me for a burglar and punched me." Greg laughed.

"Oh, Greg." I bit my lip. "Well, he doesn't live here."

"I've seen this one." He said, turning to the TV and turning it to the hour plus channel.

"Man, is this all you watch?"

"Mostly. You know, Hodges and Squidward resemble each other a lot."

"Really? I actually haven't counted Hodges' legs these days..." I teased, yawning and lying on my side. I felt as if I could sleep another little while. So I did. I woke up an hour or so later to find a completely changed Greg handing me breakfast that consisted of potato waffles, bacon and a little egg. I smirked. Pomegranate juice, also. "That is so nice. Thank you." I stretched and started tucking in. If it was possible, this tasted even better than the baguette. I groaned to show that I was enjoying it. Greg grinned and left the room only to come back several moments later with a large sleeping bag and a basket. I stopped eating for a minute.

"See? You would've had a whole day of rushing about for something that took me half an hour to do." He winked, stealing a whole pieve of bacon and dipping it into the egg. I scolded him.

"You men..." I tutted, shaking my head. "This is great, Greg! You are the best cook...ever!" I waved a hand in front of my face.

"Why thank you. I have to swing round to wok for a minute but-"

"Mm!" I mumbled, trying to protest. "I have to go to so wait."

"Allie!" He groaned.

"Yes, I know. Relax. Believe me, this is relaxing." I took a bite of the waffle and then had a drink. Delicious.

"Fine. My mom said she hopes you're feeling better." Greg spoke quickly. "I, uh, told her about you and she said she can't wait to meet you. I-I could tell that she's anxious, though." He stared me in the eye. I felt myself do the floaty thing that accompanied the fluttering. I took a quick bite of bacon. "Allie, I have to warn you right now...my mother is really, really protective. A-about me." Greg stuttered nervously. "Like I told you - before, you know - about the, um, constant taking me to hospital and all. Well, she kind of...still does that."

I grinned. "Aw...that's nice."

"No it isn't!" Greg stood up, feigning shock. "Allie! Twenty-eight years old! I can take myself to the ER if so needed." He sighed, shaking his head but fighting a smile. He laughed. "I...you know what, though?"

"Huh?"

"She buys my food! Allie, none of my girlfriends have ever survived the first meeting. I'll apologise now for whatever things she criticizes you for and I do not share _any_ of her opinion on you. I think you're absolutely amazing and-"

"Greg!" I pushed the tray off to one side and leaned over to Greg and engulfed him in a kiss. I wrapped my arms around him and he did the same. He pulled away.

"You know, she likes women to be of a large stature and they need to be able to cook, sew, knit, be polite, good with children. Oh, another thing - she'll ask about kids-"

"And I shall say thank you, but not right now. Greg...what's this all about? You've never shown any kind of angst over this before...why now?" I sat down, my arms still wielding Greg.

"I just...don't wanna lose you, Allie." Greg whispered. "You nearly died twice and I w-worry. Just...I...I."

I laughed at him and pulled him back into my arms for another kiss. "Greg. Get up. Stop worrying. I'll manage. I mean, what...another week before I meet your mom...we'll get on like a house on fire." I smiled trying to reassure myself more than him.

"Yeah...she probably started the fire." He mumbled into my shoulder and I giggled. Even with all his worrying and stuff, never in my life had I felt as content as I did right then. I pulled back and smiled. He stared right into my eyes and I swallowed.

"Greg...I think..."

"Yes?"

"I think that...well, maybe - I lov-" Stupid phones! The devil of society these days was the damn cell phone! I felt my heart drop as I pulled the phone out of my pocket and opened it, angrily might I add.

"Hello?"

"**...I told her."**

"Grissom! That's great! What did she say?"

"**She hugged me. I suggested we go out for dinner. We did. I may have ordered her a meat-based product."**

"But...she's a vegetarian." I motioned for Greg to stay there while I rolled over to the other side of the bed and sat up.

"**Exactly. It slipped my mind. She said that if I couldn't remember one simple thing then how would this ever work out. Alison, I don't know what's going on. One minute - Nice Sara. The next minute - Angry Sara. She is emotionally unstable and I don't know why. I wonder if it's my fault but it can't be. I haven't done anything...maybe that's why."** He trailed off, obviously confuzzled.

"Send her flowers, apologise, tell her something you know about her that maybe she didn't know you knew and get her something nice. Chocolates or the like." I shrugged, finishing off my bacon.

"**Fine. Thanks for the help." **He hung up and I frowned. They wee seriously bugging me now. I hadn't a clue what was up with Sara but she needed to let it go! Greg arched a brow at me. I waved I off.

"I have Grissom and Sara problems."

"Anyway...what were you gonna say?"

"I..." Couldn't say it now! Grissom absolutely killed the buzz. I mentally kicked _him_. I glared at my phone and turned it off. "I loved that bacon!" I slapped him playfully on the arm and I could literally see his face fall.

"Oh. Thanks. Kind of a specialty." He grinned and examined his hand. I got up and took his hand. "What ery you..."

"Come on. We'd better get going if we wanna be back before seven." I exclaimed.

"What's at seven?"

"Camping."

"Oh yeah!"

In the lab, Sara was sitting on her own in the break room. I cornered her and managed to get her talking. I had discovered the cause of her unstable emotions. Her mother's anniversary was this week and she always has a bad week. I left a while later and explained this to Grissom who gave me a box of chocolate to give her. I did and she almost burst into tears with the sweetness of it. She told me to thank him so I did. He told me to give her a hug and I did so, getting slightly annoyed now. She got up and went to talk to him so I decided to lie down on the break room couch. Nick walked in and whistled at me. I rolled my eyes and made a comment on his hideous shirt.

"So...how's Grindle?" Nick smirked, sitting beside me and taking a sip of his coffee. Greg's coffee actually...

"Not you, too." I groaned. Damn Hodges and his over-use of the word. He laughed. "They seem okay. She made me hug Grissom."

"Ouch."

"Yeah. I really didn't want to, but there you have it. Any sign of Greg?" I looked at my watch. 6:16PM. He was cutting it fine, seeing as I told the guy we'd be there at seven. I turned my attention round to the pumpkin sat next to me.

"Nope. He's processing something. You two going somewhere?"

"Yep. Camping."

"Ah. The night before Halloween? Man, you're sick."

"Is this the 30th? I thought it was tomorrow! I'm supposed to be working on Halloween night." Damn. I thought I was ready to come back to work but maybe I was wrong. I was growing rather accustomed to having Greg by my side. A bad mind-set, I know.

"Buzzkill. I'm taking my niece trick-or-treating. Should be swinging back here after ten, though." Nick glanced at his watch.

"That's nice. I didn't know you had a niece."

"Yeah. Two of them. Rachel and Alexis. Rachel's fourteen next month and Alexis only just turned eight. My sister's kids." Nick explained, taking sips of Blue Hawaiian in between words. I smiled and nodded.

"Generally I take Dylan camping and we do the whole ghost-story-by-the-camp-fire thing. Truth be told, I always end up terrified and only getting two or three hours sleep." I laughed. Nick grinned and rubbed his head. I suspect he had just gotten it cut as he continuously rubbed at it the whole time he'd been in the break-room with me.

"So...I was talking to Greg the other day." Nick started.

"Mm?" I frowned, dubiously.

"He seems really serious about you." Nick then smirked, looking at me. "He cares a lot. Just...he's taking you to meet his mom next week, yeah?"

"That's right." I sat forward a little.

"She's just worried about him, so don't take anything she says seriously. I met her once and once was plenty. She kept telling me never to take him anywhere outside of the lab in case of stray bullets." I raised my eyebrows. "He can't even tell her he wants to be a CSI, Allie. Just, don't say much, be polite and don't smile too much. But don't frown, either. And compliment her food. Dumb yourself down if you have to." Nick shook his head.

"Well, I don't see why I should. I wouldn't hurt Greg, ever. Well, not on purpose anyway." I sighed, sitting back. "I almost said I loved him."

Nick's face lifted. "That's great! Well, as long as you mean it, right?" He laughed.

"I do, Nick. I really do, but I couldn't say it because Grissom called and had...girl problems." I tutted.

"Sara yelled at me, you know!" Nick stood up. I giggled.

"I heard."

"Not even about anything. I just made a comment about how I disliked that particular type of case and would rather not deal with them and she was all 'Nick, you have _got_ to treat every case responsibly!'. And I was! I just...would rather have not had to it, you know?" Nick adopted a serious look which only made me laugh even more. He frowned. "What?"

"You're just so...funny at times!" I giggled, stifling a full-blown laugh. He smirked.

"Glad my misery makes you laugh, Moore!" He hit me gently on the arm and headed to the door. He stopped. "Oh, enjoy your camping and, uh...Allie?"

"Mm?"

"Watch out for the bats out that way. They tend to kind of..." He made a diving motion with his hands. "Swoop at people. Bye!" He waved.

"See you, Nicky." I sighed and picked up a magazine. After glancing through it I walked to the lab, finding Greg listening to some angry death-metal band. I rolled my eyes and turned the stereo down.

"Hey!" He yelped. "I only have five minutes left, couldn't you have waited at least forty-three seconds more?"

"What happens forty-three seconds in?"

"There's a really great shouting bit." He winked, playing a mini-air-guitar. I rolled my eyes.

"So...what are these dudes called, anyway?" I turned it up and , right enough, the girl who previously had a nice enough voice was now distorted and screaming into the microphones.

"Jenga-Monkey. They're not very well known." He explained. "I got this on the internet for...guess how much?"

"Uh...ten bucks?" I suggested blindly. Greg scoffed.

"Fifty cents! Way off, Allie!" He turned off his over-head light and put the microscope away for Hodges. I noticed a pumpkin in here, too.

"He's cute." I pointed. Greg nodded.

"Yeah, you know...this place really isn't Halloween friendly. I had to buy these, carve them and put them out all by myself."

"Jeez, when did you do all that?"

"When you were still in hospital. I believe the time was just after 1AM." He smirked proudly.

"Uh-huh. Oh, Hodges." I bobbed my head towards the door. Sure enough, Hodges entered the room not one minute later. Sometimes I could sense who was coming before they did. I used to think I was psychic, but it really only happened a handful of times.

"Oh. You two." Hodges said, scornfully. He took his jacket off and shuddered at the pumpkin. "Who did this?" He snapped. Greg looked at me and then back at Hodges without saying anything. Hodges nodded. "I knew it."

"If you knew it, then why did you ask?" I snarked. He shook his head.

"Shouldn't you two be off trying to be the Waltons?"

"We're, uh, just leaving, Hodges." Greg mumbled, getting off his high-stool and setting it in the corner. He rolled his eyes and took my hand. I jumped off my chair and kind of stumbled, landing in Greg's arms. I cursed the involuntary-muscle-spasm - yes, I found a proper name for the fluttering! - that invaded my stomach. I gasped.

"Oop! You okay?" Greg asked, face hollowed with concern. I laughed nervously.

"Yep. Kinda mis-judged the, uh, step." Greg and Hodges laughed at me.

"Mis-judged it?" Greg placed his hands on my waist and smiled. I nodded, glancing down at the floor. I could've sworn that I was blushing...great. Another stupid thing to accompany all these other symptoms. The floppy-stomach, the feeling that your heart is about to explode out of your chest and now a really, really rosy-coloured face. I tutted.

"Yes, Gregory. It's a new term." I shot back, picking up my coat. "Hodges!" I raised my voice, making him jump.

"_What_?" He seethed although I had a way of telling if he was or wasn't angry.

"You be alright here, you know...it _is_ All Hallow's Eve." I mocked. He was really easy to scare. "And, there _is_ a rumour about the lab being haunted." Okay, this was not a lie. Depending on the moon, the lab sometimes plays tricks on people. Especially in the dark, especially when the lab-rat was on their own. There had been rumours of things going missing and being in places they shouldn't be. I told this to Hodges who simply rolled his eyes.

"Oh, please. I'll survive." He started to process a cotton swab. I smirked and grabbed hold of Greg.

"Okay. Sweet dreams, Hodges." We swanned out and as we were walking, Greg stopped and looked at me.

"Allie! How are you gonna work tomorrow night?"

"Easy. The way I always work. Swabs, blood, DNA." I teased. Greg ignored the comment.

"That rumour is true! Two years ago, that happened to me, you know!"

"Lies!"

"Is not! A glass of victim DNA went missing on me and I found it under the scope an hour after it went missing. I never put it under there, Allie and I really never recalled taking my watch off and finding it in the break-room sink two days later!" He spoke quietly yet grumpily. I scoffed.

"Exaggeration? I think so!"

"Blasphemy, Allie! I deal in truths."

"Yeah, right. You deal in lies!" I put my arm around Greg as we walked out of the lab. I shuddered as the cold hit me despite my jacket. This was gonna be fun, I decided.

**A/N:** Hola! Okay, so...Halloween is my birthday and I hear reviews make excellent presents, so...feel free :)

3, 014 words. Next chapter will be Scary Fluff I hope! Please click the wee button down there and I hope you all enjoyed it. I've decided I'm gonna try and write up to 55 chapters - at most! - before I end the fic. Any suggestions, people that would like cameos - anything, contact me now with your ideas. Byeee! JauntyChick XOX


	41. Chapter Forty

Ch. **40 **!!! Allie POV! **WARNING!** Pure pointless fluff. Also, two semi-scary bits.

...

We arrived at seven on the dot. The place - when all freshly mowed and all - was absolutely huge. The sun had set over a nearby mountain leaving a honeyed light dimmed across the bottom of the sky. It began to get darker after the tent had been set up. I made the fire and was glad to get changed into my red-tartan pyjamas, large red socks, white gloves and white, fluffy insulated slipper-boots. Greg had gone for jeans, a fully sleeved top under a proper shirt and two pairs of socks. Obviously he hadn't anticipated the severe cold that circulated around this place at nighttime. I shivered, stoking the fire again. Greg handed me a cup of coffee and smiled in that oh-so-cute lopsided way of his. I grinned and fixed my over-sized cushion that I was resting on.

"Wow. I didn't know this place would be so cold!" He exclaimed, rubbing his hands together before picking up his own mug of coffee. I nodded.

"I told you that. I also told you to bring extra blankets...did you listen? No!" I tutted. Greg laughed and plopped down beside me.

"So...got any good ghost stories?" He put an arm around me, casually. I thought for a second.

"Um...I'll try." I cleared my throat. "Okay. A few years ago, this family moved into a big, old house with a giant tree outside it. They spent several days trying out each other's rooms just to try and figure out who should sleep where. Eventually, the little girl chose the bedroom overlooking the big tree. Something about the tree scared her, though. She kept on trying to sleep in the room but every night she complained about this horrible, strange screaming coming from outside. She was sure it was the tree. Her family dismissed it as nightmares." I leant closer to Greg. "One night, the little girl stepped outside to finally confront her fears. She checked behind the tree, under the car, the garage -everywhere. No use. She couldn't figure out where the screams were coming from." I heard something crackle behind me which made me jump a little. I hoped Greg didn't notice. "So, in a flash of absolute genius, the little girl climbed the tree." Greg leant in, furrowing his brows. "Branch by branch, the screams were getting louder. When she reached the top, the screaming stopped. The little girl couldn't understand it. Then...when she was just about to give up, she felt something on her shoulder." I could see Greg was clearly engrossed now. I stopped.

"And?!" He threw his hand up.

"Well, she felt something...cold on her shoulder. Cold and kinda...pointy. She turned round...slowly so as not to fall off the tree. The next thing she saw was a woman sitting _right_ behind her. Her face was white as a sheet, her teeth were cracked and her eyes were black, so they say. Then...as the little girl was about to ask who she was...she let out this massive scream - identical to the one the girl kept hearing every night - that woke everyone in the house. They all rushed out and looked up into the tree. They saw nothing but branches. They ran back into the house to see if the girl was there but, no...she was gone. No where to be seen. The next week, they woke up and the tree was gone. Where it used to be, lay a gravestone with the little girl's initials on it. The end." I shivered. I wasn't sure if it was the weather or the story. Greg looked me in the eye.

"Wow." He said. "That really was not in the least bit scary. Wasn't even spooky." He took a sip of coffee and I frowned. I wasn't good at being put on the spot like that.

"Well, fine. You try!"

"Fine. Old lady living on her own with her dog. The dog sat faithfully with her every night and used to lay down beside her bed as she slept." He started. "One night, she read about this-this escaped madman from the local penitentiary in her paper. She called her friend that lived next door and told her to lock up her house. She did the same. So, Ida - the old lady - started work on her 1000 piece puzzle while her dog sat in front of the fire. She finished up at around midnight and decided to head to bed. Her bedroom was right next to the living room, so she could look in and see her dog lying in front of the fire. She lay down and eventually her eyes began to get heavy. She let her arm fall over the bed as she looked in on the dog. As she fell into a deep sleep, she wondered who, if not the dog, was licking the hand that was draped over her bed. Le fin." He spoke fast, but generally...that was damned terrifying! I swallowed, trying hard not to turn around to see where those little cracking noises were coming from. Greg glared at me. "Well? I need a verdict, Allie..."

"That...that was, uh, good. Very good. I'm hungry, are you hungry?" I stood up and opened my little food basket that Greg had arranged. I must say, he packed everything very well. There was cutlery, plates, bowls, glasses, cold bottled juice, sandwiches, cereal, sweets, chocolates, toothbrushes and napkins. Oh, torches, too. I had no idea he was this organized. He glanced up, mouth opened slightly.

"Are you..._scared_?" He asked, bewildered. I scoffed.

"No way! That wasn't half as scary as my story." I opened one of the sandwiches - bacon, lettuce, cucumber and melted cheese with mayo. Amazing! - and began to eat it. I handed Greg another one which I think was chicken and tomatoes. Also with mayo. "Besides, I have very better ones up my sleeve."

"Well, so do I." He boasted. I felt slightly strange...as though someone was watching us. I'd never had that feeling before on camping trips. I craned my neck around as I heard a twig snapping in the distance. Suddenly, there was a bang in front of me. I jumped and made an odd high-pitched noise that I am not proud of. Greg placed his hand on my arm. "What?"

"I-I thought that I...nevermind."

"Jeez...you really _are_ scared. If it helps, I didn't sleep the first time Papa Olaf told me that story." He smirked, taking a swig of juice.

"Ah...Papa Olaf original, huh?" I smirked. "Well, I haven't a single family ghost story...my mom was dead-set against scary stories. She used to scold my grandma severely whenever she told me anything at Halloween. Only cause I couldn't sleep afterwards." I took a bite of the sandwich. Greg gave frowned.

"Well, Papa Olaf has plenty. Make sure and ask him when you meet him." We sat quietly for a few seconds.

"So...why are you sure Papa Olaf will like me and not your mom?"

"Because you're you." He winked. I got that odd little stomach feeling whenever he winked. I shrugged. "You know...you look a lot like my grandma." Greg exclaimed, out of the blue.

I grinned. I was actually quite pleased about it, for some random reason. I'd never even seen his grandmother. "Thank you. Um...Greg...I have something that...I've wanted to say but, really I-I...either I haven't felt like it's the right time - maybe too soon - or, uh, Grissom was on the phone." I laughed, clearing away the last of the sandwich. I quickly made a calculation of how long me and Greg had known each other...rolling on for nearly a year now. Had we really been going out that long?

"Oh...kay... Go on." He put the wrapping over the rest of his sandwich. He wiped his hands on his jeans and suddenly I felt extremely vulnerable. Don't ask me why but the next thing I knew, I wrapped myself around Greg's neck and kissed him. I probably scared him half to death but at the time I sincerely didn't care. Greg let out a little muffled protest and I pulled back.

"What? Are you okay?"

"I-I...I think...y-you wanted to ask, or say something...?" He ran his hand through his hair and then rested it on my waist.

"Oh. Um." I pulled my jacket tighter. "That." I smiled. "Firstly, sorry for _that_...but what I wanted to say was..." I looked down at my hand. It was kind of...shaky? No way! I leaned forward to Greg and he blinked. "I think...I love you." I think I actually yelled that part, but my memories are a little bit hazy on this particular event. I do remember Greg's reaction. He took my head in his hands and kissed me, really long and really nicely. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him back. The next hour or so was _completely_ fuzzy. Me and Greg decided to take a little stroll along the woods not too far from the tents. Cheesy or not, he took my hand and led me across towards the moon. It was _so_ nice. I giggled.

"What?" Greg asked.

"Nothing. Just...I'm so happy!" I squeaked. Greg laughed.

"Good, I'm glad." He smiled, walking into me abruptly.

"No, seriously, Greg. I do honestly love you and-and you know what? I do not give one _damn_ about what your mom thinks of me! I would not do anything against you." I could hear myself saying these words but I think I sounded drunk. "You're amazing, Greggo." I'm sure he blushed at that point, so I squeezed his hand. He halted himself and I yelped. He stared at me for a long moment before leaning in and kissing me.

"I love your hair! It's so soft." He messed my hair about a bit and I rolled my eyes.

"That's nice. I pour my heart out and you...you squee over my hair." I feigned sadness, starting to walk away. Greg started after me and I grinned.

"You said you loved my bacon." He winked.

"And I do. I sincerely love...your bacon!"

"And I love you, too." He looked away from me and coughed. I grinned. I couldn't help myself. I was happy. Really, really happy.

...

**A/N**Eugh!!! So much fluff I think my brain has just oozed out over my laptop! Eugh! Shudders Anyways...scary stories went to the wayside there. Oh, I feel so dirty for writing fluff! Romantic fluff if you don't mind. Now, anyways...please **read** and **review** if you feel like it. Yes, I have just discovered the 'change font colour' thingy. It's all good. 1, 736 words here. Next chapter will be in the lab. So, **Happy ****Halloween **everybody! **Lots** of **love**, **JauntyChick XOX**


	42. Chapter FortyOne

Ch. 41 (Allie POV - Wootage!)

...

We woke up the next morning both facing the side of the tent. Greg's arm was draped casually over my own arm and I turned round see his head nuzzled into my hair. I sighed contentedly.

"Hey...Sanders...wake up!" I gave him a gentle push. He groaned and rolled over.

"Allie!" He grumbled. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, dear?"

"Let me sleep!"

"Fine, fine. Sleep well?"

"Yes!"

"Good. I didn't. Your stupid story kept me up half the night worrying about lunatics escaping from asylums and sneaking in to lick people's hands!" I complained and rolled over to hug Greg. He laughed.

"Outstanding. Go to sleep."

"I can't. I'm wide awake, Greg." I mock-yawned. He sighed and propped his head up with his arm. He blinked.

"Hello." He leaned forwards and kissed me. I no longer cared what my insides were doing. They could've been on a rollercoaster and I wouldn't have given a damn.

"So."

"Mm?"

"I have to go to work. Grissom beeped me. New guy _needs_ to see me." This was painfully true. Actually that was what woke me up. Greg looked slightly disappointed. I shivered as a wave of coldness entered the tent.

"Buzzkill. Okay! I am up!" He shot up and opened the tent. He, too, shivered as the brisk air wafted over him. I stretched out as he pulled a new shirt out of the bag. He took off his own shirt and threw it to my side of the tent. I rolled my eyes. Typical men. "Oh!" He swivelled round to face me. "Happy Halloween, Allie."

"Uh...you, too." I offered, slightly confused. I stood up and got out of the tent, stretching again. "Hey, hand me that water, would you?"

He did. "Thanks!" I smiled, heading over to the barn nearby. There was a working shower, which I declined to tell Greg. The door opened and creaked and I shut it behind me, careful to lock it. I turned on the water, which was uberly-hot. I gasped as it hit my back. I shampooed my hair and turned off the water when I was done. All in all, it only took me five or ten minutes. I dried off and got changed back into my tartan pyjamas. I spotted Greg in the distance, looking extremely confused outside the tent. "Sanders!" I hollered. He threw his hands up in the air.

"Where were you?" He yelled back at me.

"Uh...the shower!"

"There's a shower?!"

"Yep. A hot one, too!"

"Great." He started running towards me. "_You_ can just show me where it is. I thought you'd been kidnapped." He was slightly out of breath.

"Sorry." I bobbed my head side to side. "What's that noise?" I heard a small beeping in the distance. Greg frowned.

"That...is...your beeper. I think."

"Great." I reached into the tent and grabbed the beeper. Grissom. Again. I was beginning to think I was his little work-monkey. "Grissom!" I snapped my finger. Greg was by my side in two seconds flat.

"Yeah, what about him?"

"He needs me ASAP. Hodges hasn't showed up and you're not answering your beeper." I frowned. "Sorry Greg." I leant up and kissed him on the cheek. "Shower's over that way, water's hot...lock the door and be quick!" I slapped him on the arm and he ran off. I changed my clothes into a white skirt, green and pink stripy-top and hot-pink coloured tights. White shoes set it off. Greg was back a few seconds later.

"Hey, Al. You look...wow. Man, I-I...wow." He stammered. "You are one gorgeous onion!"

"Onion?"

"I...couldn't think on another vegetable." He gave me that look he has sometimes when he rambles. "Anyway, we can, uh, leave the tent. I-if you want, I mean. No panic or anything. Took me a while to set this up. Very good handy-work, I think."

"Oho! Get in the car." I grabbed him by the arm and started the igniton.

"Are you driving?"

"But of course. My car." I winked and Greg glanced at his feet. I wondered if he had fluttery-stomach-syndrome, too.

...

My first day back was extremely good. No pressure on anything, swabs, DNA...so far, Grissom and Sara seemed to be back to normal. Hodges arrived in slightly tired from having trick-or-treaters pranking him. Nick came in and brought me a bucket of chocolate and Sara gave me a bracelet. Everything was so utterly amazing. At mid-day I went in and had a look about for the new Ecklie. What was his name again? Victor? Victor Smith, that's the one. I swanned off and finally found his office. I composed myself and knocked on the door. A faint 'come in!' could be heard. The back of the black chair was facing towards me. I cleared my throat.

"Hi, um...Mr. Smith? I'm Allie Moore-" This got his attention. He turned round immediately. He had dyed dark hair and a smooth face. His lips were slightly up-turned and I got the feeling they were always like that. He had cool eyes. Kind of...I'm-observant-and-have-to-keep-an-eye-for-whatever-scandal-you-may-have. But also kind of friendly and warm.

"Miss Moore, it is a pleasure." He stood up and walked over to me. He pulled my hand and shook it, firmly. "I have heard so many things about you and your work."

"Thank you." My head was getting kinda inflated, so I cleared my throat and wrestled my hand back. "You wanted to see me?"

"Oh, yes!" He said, elaborately elongating the word. An impeccable American accent. "Please, take a seat." He turned on his computer. A few minuted of silence followed. Every now and then he would go 'Hmm', 'Aha!', 'I see'. Then a raucous laugh emitted from him and I jumped a little.

"Um...I was very immature when I wrote my CV, Mr. Smith..." I managed, quietly. He glanced up and continued to laugh.

"Oh, no...I'm not looking at that. See, I've got this book which _needs_ read in a matter of moments. Bear with me, dear. Only one page left. Oh." He said 'oh' sadly. I frowned.

"Something wrong, Sir?"

"No...I finished it. That was it? Was that the end?" He furrowed his brows. "Miss Moore, come here a second, will you?" I did, like a bullet. "Is this the last page?"

"Um...it would appear so, Sir."

"What an awful book! I can't put a foreword on this. Would you put your name to a book that has the last line of 'I hope you eat your own head, you incompetent, Ass!'? I jolly well would not." Victor, still cool as a cucumber, took the file and deleted it before turning off the monitor. "Awful. Terrible. Now!" He clapped his hands together. "Sit!" I ran to my seat and complied. "Your work is one of the best I have ever seen. Unfortunately..."

"Yes?" I immediately sat on the edge of the seat.

"So does someone else. Horatio Caine. Apparently, you interned there or something?!" He scrunched his face up.

"Um, Mr. Caine had me working in the lab. He was very good to me while I was there." I smiled politely.

"Yes, well...basically. I came over here from Miami. We are all swapping around. I came here so someone from here goes there...Horatio told me a specific name that he sincerely _has. To. Have_." When saying 'has to have' Victor gently tapped the palm of his hands on the table. Obviously he was a hand-gesture man.

"Oh, right." I grinned, oblivious. "May I ask who?"

"Yes, of course." Victor grinned. "You." He pointed.

...

**A/N:** Dun, dun, dun!!! Cliffhanger? I think so! Okay, less fluff - more reality - that is what I like! Anyways...please R&R, hope you all enjoyed it. Take it easy, JauntyChick XOX


	43. Chapter FortyTwo

Ch. 42 (Allie POV! Yay!)

...

Okay. I'll admit, I felt bad. Really, really bad. I actually felt sick to the pit of my stomach. This was _really_ not what I had wanted to hear. I was happy here. Content. I began to breath harder.

"Me?" I shrieked. Victor, currently unaware of my thoughts, winked at me. I ignored him and started paying attention to the horrid feeling of dread coming over me. I actually wanted to cry. I _never_ cry, I thought to myself.

"Yes, you! And he wants you A. S. A. P!" Victor snapped his fingers jauntily, he snapped up and took hold of my hand. "Now, will I book the ticket for today, tomorrow...actually, I booked it for two weeks from now. Now, I heard your momma and brother are currently residing over that way...at least you've got a place to stay. And haven't you just had surgery? Was it...appendectomy?"

I nodded. "Mm. I-is this, uh, permanent?"

"Oh, yes!"

"As in...for good?"

"Oh, yes! Believe me, you'll find it so much better there. The bright lights, the weather...actually..." He chuckled. "That could almost be here. So, I have spoken to Gil-"

"Grissom?"

"Yep. And he says he gives you his blessing. Horatio is _desperate_ for you to come back. Tripping over himself to get you, in fact. Now, the ticket is on it's way. All you have to do is tie up whatever loose ends you have around here."

Loose ends? My thoughts turned to Greg which only made me want to cry even more. I couldn't possible leave Greg now...I just told him I loved him. Then there was dad...Jimmy Mead and Michelle! No. No way. "I'm sorry...I can't." I mumbled.

"What?" Victor asked, abruptly. "Did I just hear you refuse? No, no, no - my dear - you cannot! I've booked the ticket. Half your family live over there, for God's sakes! What is there to stay here for?"

"Greg..." I spoke quietly.

"Excellent!" He mis-heard me. "I'll open the champagne and you go and pack your bags." He smiled. I stood up.

"I...excuse me, please. I have something to attend to. Bye." I slipped out of the room and held my hand against my face. I felt awful! I wondered for a split second if I had a temperature or something. I walked - but it didn't feel like walking, it felt more like floating - to the locker-room. I couldn't wait for this shift to finish. I looked at my watch, tears threatening to appear. Oh, great. Five or six hours to go. Maybe I could go on the sick...no. Damn appendix.

"Hey, Allie!" Nick swanned in. I blinked double-fast.

"Hey." I tried to sound cheery but it came out sounding flat and odd. Nick opened his locker, conveniently placed next to mine.

"You okay?" He asked, shoving his jacket into the locker. I blinked again. Stupid tears. Of all places - why did I have to break down in the lab?

"Uh-huh." My voice cracked a little, causing Nick to frown.

"You sure don't sound okay." He sat next to me. Fortunately I was turned away from him. "Wanna talk about it?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Allie..." He placed a hand on my shoulder which just killed me entirely. Finally, I started to cry. I didn't want to but I could _not_ restrain myself. Nick turned me round and faced me. He gave me a pitied smile. "Hey, hey...what's wrong?"

"I...can't...I...don't..." I stammered. Suddenly, these strange noises appeared out of nowhere. Then I realised, they were coming from me. I had somehow broken into severe sobs and Nick pulled me closer into the hug. I let my head fall onto his shoulder.

"Allie, it's alright...whatever it is, don't worry. Did something happen? Was it Sara?" Suddenly Nick pulled away, blatantly concerned. I shook my head no, not really wanting to speak. "Your brother maybe...uh...um...family member?" Again, I shook my head. "Well...is it Greg?" I shook my head but broke out into a huge mass of tears and wobblyness. I could feel myself shaking. Poor Nick. I must've worried him because he nearly killed me with the gripping hugs. "Don't worry...okay? It's okay, Allie." I pulled back and wiped my eyes. "Now...you wanna talk about it?"

"I...don't...think I - ah- can." I spoke the way distraught people talk. All hiccups and stutters. Nothing different there, huh?

"You can talk to me...now, if I close the door here..." He reached over and shut the door by pushing it. "And I hand you my jacket, cause you seem cold..." He placed his jacket around me. It was nice. Warm. Smelt like Nick, too. "Then, will you explain the tears?"

"No...I - can't..." More loud sobs. I was glad Greg was safe in the lab. I really couldn't have faced him. Or anyone.

"Alright. Take your time. Just...whenever you feel like it." He pulled me into another hug and I sat for at least half an hour just crying and hiccuping. Some people came in and left again -quicksmart. "Allie...how are you now?" Nick asked. I nodded. "That doesn't help me, Allie. You're gonna have to help me out a bit here." He ran his hand soothingly across my back. I pushed a strand of dark hair out of my eye. My eyes began to feel puffy.

"He...wants - me -to...leave!" I cried. Nick laughed.

"Allie, nobody wants you to leave." He said, smoothly. I shook my head.

"Smith - said - that - oh! Horatio...oh, Nicky!" I turned back into those stupid incoherent noises.

"Shoosh, now. Look, whatever Smith said to you, I _will_ go _now_ and beat him up for you." He pulled me away from him and I laughed despite everything.

"You're - so - oh - sweet!" I breathed. It took a few moments but I regained semi-composure enough to explain to Nick about Victor Smith. His face turned uberly-serious and, for a minute, I thought _he_ was gonna cry, too.

"Allie...why are you crying?" He asked, pushing my hair away from me. I sighed.

"I don't know!" Hiccup. "It's just-" Stifled breath. "I told Greg-" Gasp. "I loved him-" Sob. "I can't leave him-" Hiccup. "Now, Nick!"

"Allie...you need to think this through. Greg won't mind, you know. I'm sure he'll be happy for you, whatever you decide."

"I- know!" I yelled. "That is the problem exactly...I love him, Nick! Yesterday I was so happy a-and now-" Gasp. "This piece of ass happens!" I raised my voice. It was as though I had no control over my own speech. Nick stood up and ran a hand through his hair.

"Okay..." He bit his lower lip for a moment before smiling a little. "I'll tell Grissom you're not feeling too good so-"

"No! No, no!" I shook my head and rubbed my face, attempting to straighten myself out. I pulled my jacket over. "It's fine...it'll all be fine, Nicky." I walked up to him and smiled. "How do I look?"

"Red. Bloodshot. Not very healthy." He raised his brows. I glared even though it stung.

"Well...I'd better go and see Grissom, then." I thumbed towards the hall. Nick nodded.

"You want me to go with you?" He asked, placing his hand on my arm.

"No, thanks." I shook my head and started to the door. "Thank you Nick." He nodded and I left. I felt decidedly better after my little, um...minor episode. I practically _ran_ down the corridor to Grissom's office. Little did I know, he was expecting me.

**A/N:** So...sorry for this chapter. It's very emo! Anyways...Michelle - thank you for _all_ the reviews. You are great ;)

Please R&R!

JauntyChick

XoX


	44. Chapter FortyThree

Ch. 43 (Allie POV)

I opened the door and sat in front of Grissom. He took his glasses off and smiled feebly at me.

"Hello, Alison. You look nice." He joked. I scoffed, amused.

"Gee, thanks." I wiped my eyes with my cardigan sleeve. Grissom frowned slightly. "So, I hear you gave me your blessing. Imagine my surprise!" I laughed. Grissom never said anything. "He seems nice, this Smith dude. Very, um...flamboyant."

"Indeed."

"I can't do it, Grissom. I-I want to but no, thank you." I shook my head. I still wanted to cry but not in front of Grissom.

"Have...you thought about your future in this career?"

"Yes." Liar. "I have." Oh, my God - you idiot! Extend the lie, why don't you. To be honest, all I'd thought about was Greg, what life would be like without Greg, how I would break it to him... not about my future at the lab here.

"And?"

"I...on one hand, it would be so great with all the opportunities. But on the other...I have Greg to think of now."

"But your family are there?"

"They're here, too." I smiled, hoping this would suffice for an answer. "Sorry. But, Grissom...I want to but I don't want to. You know?"

"Actually, I don't."

"Well...I...I have Greg." I sighed, tears forming at the backs of my eyes.

"Did you tell him?"

"I-no."

"Hm. Makes it harder for you to leave."

"I can't leave."

"Just...take Greg out of the equation for a moment." He raised his brows at me. I nodded, wiping my eyes again. I hated crying and I especially hated it when someone was with me. "Would you go?"

"I-"

"The truth, Allie."

"Yes! Yes I would go! I loved working there and I adore working with DNA - it is absolutely the _best_ job ever but you are not listening to me!" Uh-oh. Words were coming out that I didn't want to come out. "I love my job here I love everyone in the lab - I. Can't. Leave!" I yelled, standing up. "Much less than that - I don't want to have to do all this over again! I'm happy here, Grissom...I feel like I have many, many more opportunities here than I ever could have in Miami. Granted, they've got better scopes and stuff but..." I sighed, calming down slightly. Poor Grissom, I thought to myself.

"Well. As Smith has put these rules out on the table...as far as protocol goes...I really can't do anything to let you stay. It's up to him." He reported, sadly. I frowned. "This is all..._because_ of Greg, isn't it?" I nodded, silently. "Do you think he'd be pleased that you're sitting here crying about him?" I shook my head this time. "Do you love him?" He asked, all serious. I looked up, slightly taken aback. I nodded gently. Barely a nod at all, in fact.

"You know how...in books, they use words like 'Her stomach lurched' or 'She felt her heart go up in flames' to describe how it feels to be in love? Yeah...that's pretty much what it's like."

"Or maybe it's just a deep feeling of contentedness and warmth?" He smirked, tilting his head. I rolled my eyes. Let me tell you, tears and eye-rolling don't go too well with each other.

"So, you and Sara are good, then?" I asked, smiling lightly. He nodded, grinning. Well, I was glad at least one of us was having a good time. I stood up. "Could you just...tell me? Tell me what to do...please?"

"Sorry. This is something _you_ have to figure out on your own. I'm sure you'll choose the right one." He stood up and patted me on the shoulder before opening the door. He motioned for me to follow him. I did and we walked out of the office and to the break room. Greg, Catherine, Sara and Nick were sat at the table. I was glad I managed to subside the tears for a while, giving my face time to calm down and turn back to it's regular shade. Oh, eye drops are _amazing_ for getting rid of red-eye. I went to the corner of the room and opened the fridge. There was an...odour that displeased me so I took a rain-check on it. I poured a cup of coffee and pulled a magazine out of the cupboard before heading to the sofa. I noticed everyone was pretty much staring at me, which was odd. I looked up and smiled.

"Hey." I swallowed. Greg got up and flounced over to me. Then, he plopped down next to me, about one centimeter of space between us. I pushed away those 'feelings'. He placed an arm around my back which almost made me cry.

"Hey, you. Is...that my Blue Hawaiian?" He pointed to my coffee and I nodded.

"Yep. Damn nice it is, too." I laughed. I looked over at Grissom, who was sitting _holding_ _hands_ with Sara. Catherine and Nick were busy chattering about some old band from the 80s.

"So...you up for dinner tonight? Maybe a movie." He asked, playing with a strand of my hair. Ordinarily, I would've let him play with it. Ordinarily, I would've said yes. Now, though...this was the decision-maker.

"I..." My heart started beating in double time. There was a funny lump at the back of my throat. This wasn't good... "Can't. I have to work overtime. Sorry." Oh. That wasn't a good feeling.

"Okay. I'll bring you dinner, then." He offered.

"No, thanks. Probably just get something out of the chicken place."

"Well, I could meet you-"

"Greg, I have to go." I stood up. "You want the rest of this?" I handed him the Blue Hawaiian and left immediately. Great, I thought. Couldn't have went better if I'd tried.

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Apparently, after I left the break room, Stephanie Cranes - a blue eyed beach-babe with a notion on Grissom - came in and handed everyone invitations for this party next week that Victor Smith decided we all should have. Greg was in charge of the music, Nick and Catherine on decorations - why anybody would put Nick in charge of decorations was _beyond_ me. Great guy, bad co-ordination - and the day-shift helping out, too. All in all, it was great. Except I wouldn't be here. Hodges walked in.

"So, I heard you pulled a ranter on Sanders." He handed me some other things to process.

"No, I didn't."

"Not according to him. Poor bewildered Sanders." Hodges tutted. "Didn't know what hit him. So, you blatantly refuse to see him and now you've...locked yourself up in here for the next day or so?"

"Shut up, Hodges."

"Ooh, feisty!" He snapped an elastic band to the other side of the room. I frowned.

"Could you go out for a little while, please? I would just like to be on my own for a few moments." I spoke quietly. It appeared that my eyes had turned red again, sparking concern with Hodges.

"Allie...were you _crying_?"

"No..." My voice broke. "Yes!" Suddenly, those stupid hiccup-tears were back. I never looked at Hodges. Although, if I had, I'm positive it would've been completely confused.

"Allie...I'm...not good with- hold on." He shot up and out of the lab only to return two seconds later with a jacket. He pulled it around me. "You cold? You look cold." He decided, arms folded.

"I'm fine." I choked. "Just...had a bad day."

"Even so...I've never seen you cry before." He raised his eyebrows.

"I hate crying."

"Me, too. Although," He glanced over at my latest project. "Hair samples that don't match _always_ make me cry, too." I laughed and he smiled. "See? I can be funny."

"Yep. I always suspected." He did a surprising thing and wiped off a tear on my cheek, smiling pitifully. "I'm leaving, Hodges." I rubbed my face. At this point, I looked like a swollen lobster. He sat down beside me, seemingly shocked.

"Says who?"

"Smith."

"Smith?"

"Victor Smith. New Ecklie."

"Oh. Are you sure?"

"Yep. Grissom says he can't make me stay. Protocol, apparently." I scoffed.

"Allie..."

"I don't want to either. It's just...Greg. I want to stay here. With Greg. You know, I love this place. I love everybody here." I stifled a strange noise.

"You should go. Home, I mean." Hodges pulled me off the seat. "You need to sleep. I'll tend the lab. Go." He handed me his jacket and opened the door.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, now go before I change my mind."

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Arriving back at Greg's place, I was glad to find him in his bed. Asleep. I made myself some dinner and watched the TV for a while. Half-twelve came round and I thought it best to head to bed. I got changed and sat on the edge of the bed. Greg never snored, I noted. All in all, he was perfect. Practically perfect in all ways. I sighed, pulling the overs over and nestling in beside him. He rolled over and smiled, still asleep, mind you. I grinned. Suddenly I felt very happy. I propped my head up with an arm and placed a hand on his arm. I began to shake him gently.

"Greg?"

"Mm. Not again!"

"Honey, wake up. We need to talk." Boy-howdy, that wasn't a nice greeting. I mentally kicked myself. "I-it's about, um...bananas." I frowned. Bananas? The best I could come up with was bananas. A bad day for man-kind.

"They're lovely. Yellow, too." He mumbled into the pillow. I laughed.

"I know. Listen, uh...I'm, uh...are you awake?"

He suddenly bolted upright and yawned. His hair was askew, and it suited him. It was getting to be his natural colour again and it was just the right length to spike properly. "Yep. Wide awake." He glance at his watch. "Did you only just get home?"

"No. Hodges let me away early."

"Jeez. He must really like you."

"Mm. Look, I have something to tell you and I-I want you to know...it's got nothing to do with our relationship. I would never intentionally hurt you and I would never want to upset you. It's more like protocol." He frowned, rubbing his eyes. I forced myself to smile. "I really love you." Tsk. Nice thing to say before you leave and never come back.

"I love you, too." He reached over and kissed me. I pulled away.

"Greg." I rolled my eyes. "Smith has decreed that I'm leaving. Going to Miami so as we can all 'switch'. Basically, walk a mile in everybody else's shoes. Except...it would be more than a mile."

"Well, how long would it be for?"

"Uh...forever." I swallowed, feeling cold. Greg's face fell and I really wanted to hug him right then.

"So...you're not going to be seeing me, then." He turned away from me for a split-second.

"Greg, I am so sincerely sorry. I can't do anything about it. Much as I'd like to."

"A-and you'll...not be coming back?"

"No. Not that I know of, anyway. Next week, I suppose."

"Oh." He stated. "So, this is...we're breaking up."

"No!" I shrieked. "No, no, no. Well...not...I don't want to if...do you want us to?"

"No."

"Neither do I." I knew what I had to do, though. "But I do have to, um...detatch myself. From you."

"Yeah."

"No more dates, no more kisses...nothing." I felt my eyes welling up again. A tear rolled down my cheek.

"Friends, huh? Yeah...that would probably be for the best." Greg half-smiled and rolled over away from me.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

"I'm really sorry, Greg."

"Yeah."

"I love you so much."

"Mm."

"If...goodnight."

"Night."

So I lay down, tears streaming down my face. I cried silently for a while before finally rolling over and sleeping.

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The next morning, Greg left without me. I walked in to work feeling a lot better than when I went to sleep. Greg took everything a little better than I expected. Catherine greeted me as I entered.

"Hey." She smiled.

"Hi, Catherine!"

"So, uh, I hear you're leaving us. Miami...nice!" She grinned.

"Mm. Depends who you're talking to."

"Not looking forward to it, huh?"

"Nope. I'll miss you all, I'll miss the lab and now Greg's really upset with me."

"Grissom said. You love him, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"He loves you."

"Not anymore."

"He told me this morning, Allie. He's very upset."

"Well, so am I."

"Allie, stop!" She put her hand firmly on my shoulder. "You've been crying at work, you're mad...sad?"

"Not sad. Fed up, annoyed. I don't wanna leave and damn Grissom says he won't help."

"Not won't. Can't."

"Same thing."

"We'll miss you. I just wondered...what do we say to Greg?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when he's sittin' crying his eyes out in the break-room and we're telling him, 'it's okay, she loves you' and he says you don't then...it's gonna be hard, Allie."

"Don't you think I don't know that?! He's my best friend - I tell him _everything_! Do you have any idea how hard it's gonna be for me to wake up every day and _not_ speak to him?! Catherine! It's out of my hands. I-I love him...but I can't do this." I swallowed. Catherine pulled me into a hug.

"You're a great kid, Allie. You and Greg are the perfect couple. Don't let this ruin that." She smiled and headed off down the hall. What a mess.

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**A/N:** 2, 257 words - Woo! Anyways...please R&R and thanks to Michelle...pretty much my only reviewer ;) LOL. Have a great rest of the day. JauntyChick XOX


	45. Chapter FortyFour

Ch. 44 (Allie POV)

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A few days later, me and Greg had just gotten back to communicating. Everything was going fine and I was especially pleased that I hadn't cried since that day I told Greg. Nick, Warrick and Hodges had decided we were going out one night for dinner. We asked Greg, but conveniently he had to work late. I put on my white summer dress - I know...November weather and summer dresses don't really gel too nicely - and sparkly pink bolero jacket. Ooh, I had these really sweet pink high-heeled, peep-toes. They matched the bolero jacket very well indeed. I waltzed into the lab to check on Greg. Even though he was being an ass - although...not really in my opinion - and not speaking as much to me - he obviously didn't get the whole 'detachment' thing - as I wanted to speak to him. I knocked on the door and he glanced up...then looked back at the scope and then his head immediately flicked up.

"Wow..." He muttered, looking directly at me. Not at the clothes, not at anything other than my face. I blushed, I think. Well, my face went really red and I bit my lower lip.

"You like?" I choked out. Greg nodded.

"Definitely, I like." He smiled, lopsidedly. Really that was the only way he ever smiled. I pulled a chair closer to him. He stared for another few seconds before returning to the scope. I propped my head on my hand and smiled at him. I knew I shouldn't...in fact, I should be avoiding him at all costs but I couldn't. I just wanted to hang around with him like we used to. "Where you going?" He asked, suddenly.

"Uh...out with the boys. We asked you? The other day. Don't you remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Must've slipped my mind."

"You wanna come with us?" I offered, smiling.

"Nah. got swabs and stuff to check out for Smith." I couldn't help but notice the way he spat Smith's name out.

"Oh. Uh, so. How's the music coming on?"

"Good. Got a mix tape I made a while ago that I'm gonna use. I finally finished it." He smirked, getting up off his seat. I followed him.

"Great. I, uh...I'm leaving in three days, you know."

"I know." He smiled feebly.

"Catherine has a bet on with Nick and Warrick that I'll stay. Fifty bucks so far."

"Hmm."

"Oh, Greg!" I pulled him away from the microscope to turn round and look at me. "Dude! You're really killing me here! I mean...I'm living with you! Do you know how awkward it is to share a bed with someone that won't even entertain the thought of a conversation!?" Of course he did. He shared the bed with me. Only reason I wasn't talking was because of him.

"Allie. It's hard to talk to someone who is trying to detatch themself from you." He glared at me. I nodded, smiling. "Sorry."

"That's alright. You're entitled. So...I've been training Ted. He's coming along nicely."

"You're replacing you with..._Ted_?"

"Yesm. Give him a chance. You might like him."

"He's not you, Allie." Greg stared at me for a long second before smiling. I frowned.

"Yeah. Horatio Caine isn't you, either. I haven't met their lab-rat."

"They only have one?"

"Well..."

"Allie, that's a big workload."

"Not really..."

"Even for you, okay. You work too much. Need I remind you about the appendix?"

"Greg!"

"Allie, promise me you won't get stressed out? A-and call in help if you need it!" By this time, Greg swivelled round and had his hand on my waist. I looked down at it and he was about to pull away until...I stopped him. I don't know what came over me, but there you have it. He adopted a confused look, arching his eyebrow and parting his mouth a little. I felt my stomach constrict.

"I-" Never had time to finish what I was saying because, before I knew it, Greg pulled me into a hug and lifted me up, walking me around the room. I gasped. "Greg...Sanders...what...are...you...doing?!?!" I laughed hysterically. Then he began to laugh. I wasn't heavy but I certainly wasn't a waif.

"Allie Moore! I am trying to lift you but...oh, man!" He put me down after a couple of minutes. He put a hand across the small of his back, he doubled over slightly, still laughing like a fool. I stopped a second.

"You okay, Greggo?" I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah...think I may have broken a muscle...maybe a rib..." He teased. Suddenly, we were only inches away from each other and I had an inexplicable urge to hug him. Not even a kiss, nothing like that. Just a hug. I wondered if he'd pull away. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. Bon Jovi's 'You Give Love A Bad Name' started playing. Something about that riff at the beginning just amazed me. I answered it immediately, still in exactly the same place.

"Hello?"

"**Allie? Where are you? It's cold and we're waiting!"**

I sighed. "I'm on my way, Hodges." He clicked off. "Not even a 'goodbye' in it. Tsk." I mocked. Greg laughed.

"That's Hodges, alright." He was frighteningly out of breath. I certainly hoped that wasn't all my fault.

"So, uh, I'll move my stuff out tomorrow...get my own place sorted for Frank and Diane." I shuffled my foot against the floor. He nodded.

"Okay...see you back at the house later?"

"Of course. How about you rent a movie?" I pulled five dollars out of my wallet and handed it to him. "Something good. Scary, maybe." I smiled. Greg finally caught hold of his breath and winked.

"Right. Gotcha. Scary. Bye."

"See you later." I winked and walked out of the lab, backwards. I discovered this wasn't the best idea as I kind of banged into a wall, giving myself a beautiful bruise on my elbow. But you know what? It didn't even hurt.

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"Allie! Dance with me!" Hodges - a very drunk Hodges, mind - complained at me for the - at least - forty-ninth time this evening. I giggled.

"No! Not on your life! There's Nick. He'll dance with you!" I pointed toward Nick who was bringing random drinks. He shook his head.

"No way, man. There's that new girl from the lab. What's her name? Allie?!" He hollered over the music. I glanced up, bobbing my head towards him. "What's the newbie called?"

"Uh, I don't know...Amy? Emma? No! Becky!" I nodded. Nick agreed silently and handed me a drink, sitting beside me after a few moments. So far, the night was great. I mean, would've been better if Greg was there, but...

"It's apple juice. I know you don't like alcohol."

"Not that I don't like it, Nick. I don't like losing control of my mind." Once and once only had I ever had alcohol, and I didn't like the taste. Nor did I like the allergic reaction of food poisoning. Then again, I did have red wine sauce once. And creme brulee with something kind of...fruity. Nick laughed.

"Oh, I see! Good idea." He took a sip of something which I think was coke but I couldn't be sure. I looked over at Hodges who was dancing around merrily to Cher.

"I had no idea he could be like this."

"Oh, yeah. He's been drinking for two hours at least. Not good for him." Nick shook his head. "Then again, I've never seen him like this, either. He seems..."

"Nice?"

"Yeah!"

"Well, be fooled. He brought me flowers when I was in the hospital."

"Really?"

"Yep. Swore me to secrecy, nearly." I giggled, taking a sip of the sparkling apple juice. It was tasty.

"Oho, I bet." Nick smiled. "So...do you wanna dance?"

"Um...okay." I finished the drink - nine seconds flat! - and stood up. Nick arched an eyebrow at me and I waved him off. "So, where's Warrick?"

"Wife trouble. Seems that's all she is."

I laughed. "What have you got against her?"

"Not...nothing!" Nick pulled me onto the dancefloor. He started swinging me around the floor until everything became blurry. "She just!" He swung me out and then back into his arms. "Annoys me. I think it's cause she called me!" Again he swung me out. "An ass!"

"Why!" Swing out. Swing in. "Did she do that?" Ooh, boogieing down now. Back up.

"Cause, I called her Leah. She was Warrick's old!" Lift! Back to the ground. "Girlfriend. Now she was nice."

"You and Warrick remind me of an old married couple!"

"That's just what Sanders always says!" Nick laughed and then swallowed. "Sorry, I shouldn't-"

"Don't be stupid, Nick." I waved it off, doing a fine set of jazz squares now. Something Greg and Frank had taught me. "We're fine." Nick pulled me up, swung me around and then stopped. The song ended and Pat Benetar came on, reminding me of Greg. I tutted. "Hey, I'm gonna get another drink. Raincheck on this one, huh?"

"Sure." Nick went off into the crowd and started dancing with random chicks. No matter where we went, women flocked around him like sheep. I took a drink and before I knew it, Warrick had arrived and then Catherine, Sara and I was sure I saw Grissom here for a while.

"So!" Catherine shouted, dancing madly with me on the dancefloor. She kept a close eye on Nick the whole time which I found oddly sweet. "Where's Hodges?"

"Dancing with, uh, Sara?!" I shrieked. How he managed to persuade her...oh, there's Grissom. Thank God for that. So, Hodges was dancing with...New girl. I knew it! She was blonde and had dark eyes, so happy days for Hodges. "Oh, no! He's with the new girl!"

"Becky?"

"Yep!" I broke out into mad, scary jive-kicks with Catherine. She laughed as she knocked into Nick, who was blatantly trying to avoid a large, blonde, pink-wearing lady. She was a head taller than him and a good few pounds heavier. _And_ she had a feather boa..._not_ a good sign. I took a hold of his shirt-sleeve. "Nick!"

"What?" He yelled. The music had just been turned up double the volume.

"Dance with Cath a minute, will you?" I pushed him towards her and he landed in her arms. I tutted at the oh-so-cliche feeling of it all. I ran over to Warrick and pulled him up.

"What's up, Allie?"

"Nothing. You're not dancing." I frowned, hands on hips.

"No one asked me." He smirked, playing with his phone. I sat next to him.

"Wife, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm thinking now it was a mistake."

"Mm. I'm thinking you'd feel a lot better if you danced with us all!" I grabbed his hand and took him with me to the floor. A short while later, me, Sara, Grissom, Catherine, Nick, Warrick and Hodges all met up outside.

"Great party!" Catherine shouted, even though we were in perfect silence. Me and Nick laughed. Warrick had Hodges walking beside him explaining about how nobody 'gets' seagulls. I rolled my eyes at Sara and Grissom who had been chatting away about complete nonsense, while holding hands. It was a great night, no one was drunk - except Hodges - and nobody would be waking up tomorrow with a sore head...possibly Hodges, though.

"Hey, Al?" Warrick stopped. "You need a ride home?

"Uh, if...it's not any trouble." I smiled. He nodded, grinning.

"No problem. Nicky, you'll be in charge of the lab-rat here." He pointed to Hodges and then looked at me. "Sorry, 'other' lab-rat here." I slapped him playfully across the arm.

"Catherine, you can come with me, too." Nick cleared his throat. They liked each other. You'd never guess.

"Oh, Allie?" Sara called, turning round suddenly to face me. She managed to walk backwards _perfectly_. Maybe she practiced. "How's Ted?"

"Ted...is shaping up perfectly, thanks. He is now a fully fledged lab-vermin. I won't say rat, cause...well, he isn't me, now is he?" I smirked. Everyone laughed. As we walked along to the car-park, I noticed the extreme feeling of happiness surging through me right at that very moment. The only thing holding me back from bursting into bouts of laughter was the fact that, in no less than two and a half days, I'd probably lose touch with all of these people.

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**A/N: **But I certainly hope that doesn't happen. Sigh Oh, man. I am gonna miss this fic when it's done. I might do a sequel. Or some one-shots. Any ideas, people? Oh, and if some of the people that have alerts on this fic would review, I'd love them forever! Please R&R and don't let poor Michelle do all the reviewing! Help her out, here...for me???

Presses button at the bottom of the page and hopes _everyone_ else reading this will have done the same (At least once!) at the end of her fic!!!! 

Have a great day,

JauntyChick

XOX


	46. Chapter FortyFive

Ch. 45 (Allie POV. Hope you all like!)

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I returned home- uh, to Greg's home only twenty minutes later. To my surprise, Greg was sitting at the table with two glasses of pomegranate juice with ice-cubes. I smiled, shutting the door behind me. The lights were dimmed and there were little pink candles lit around the place.

"Wow. This is nice." I took my jacket off, then shivered. He bowed. I noticed he'd dyed his hair and cut it a little. It looked great. I always preferred Greg with dark hair. It went so well with him. His skin tone, his eyes... I leant against the door, sighing contentedly. "You missed a great night. Hodges - yes, dear old David Hodges - was drunk. Completely, utterly drunk. A funny sight. Considering, I've never even seen him crack a full smile- what?" I stopped, seeing Greg hadn't taken his eyes off me since I came in.

"You look great. Here." He handed me the glass. I took a sip. This was pomegranate and blueberry, which was even better.

"It's delicious, thank you." I walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "So, you get a movie?"

"Mm...uh, Urban Legend?"

"Okay...just...it's not _too_ scary, right?" I winked, taking my shoes off. He shook his head.

"Go get changed."

"Alright...here." I handed him the glass to take care of. I left and came back not three minutes later with a pair of boxers and my pyjama top. Pink socks set it off nicely. "You know, I actually think I fixed Grissom and Sara."

"Oh, yeah..." Greg flicked the DVD on, sitting next to me. "Why's that?"

"Oh, the whispers, the hand-holding. It's all enough to make you a little bit sick." I laughed, taking another sip of juice. We sat quietly watching the DVD and slowly but surely, Greg had edged close enough to put his arm around me, which he did. This was really gonna hurt when I had to leave. I put my head against his shoulder. "Greg?" I whispered.

"Yes, Allie?"

"This whole...detachment thingy...not really working for you, huh?"

"Nope. You?"

"Uh, I...kind of...hate it." I stammered. "Tell me," I pushed away and looked at him. He cocked his head inquisitively. "What are you gonna tell your mom...and Papa Olaf for that matter?"

"I...the truth, I suppose."

"And what's the truth?"

"That you're leaving me for an older, red-head with much better opportunities." He smiled. I frowned.

"Greg!"

"What are you gonna tell everyone?"

"That...I'm leaving the lab for better opportunities." I winked. He leaned over - I suspect - to kiss me. Immediately I moved away to get the remote. He looked dejected. "Hey, have you ever seen The Candyman?"

"Uh, yeah. Years ago. Allie-"

"Oh! Even better - Daredevil!"

"Allie-"

"Ooh, the, uh, this- this thing - what's it's name?"

"Allie!" He pulled my head towards him and kissed me. I rolled my eyes.

"What?"

"Shut up a second!" He sighed elaborately. "When are you leaving?"

"Uh, two and a half days."

"Shouldn't we be packing you up?"

"I...don't think I'd fit?!" I offered, smiling nervously. Packing wasn't what I'd wanted to do.

"Allie, come on." He shot up, like a bullet and pulled me up by the hand. After bundling me into the car, we drove to my place. I unlocked the door, which was wedged by the back-catalogue of mail that had been arriving in the past couple of weeks. I flicked the lights on.

"Well, looks pretty much the same." I bent down and piked up all the mail. Twenty items, in total. I whistled. Greg took his blazer off an started looking around the house.

"You selling it?"

"No..." I trailed off quickly opening a letter. Spam. Typical. "I was actually planning on letting it out. Frank was looking for a place.

"Surely this would be too big?"

"No. His mom likes to take her family in for weeks, occasionally months at a time. Frank has been known to live here for four months. Good as gold, he was."

"Uh-huh...okay, TV, DVD..."

"All staying. I might com back, you know." I swivelled round to see Greg frowning at the corner of the room. I saw him eyeing up a little box in the corner, under the TV. My eyes widened. "Oh! Uh, that-that's alright where it is, Greg!" My hands shot up. He noticed the way I was reacting and picked the box

"What's in here?" He traced his fingers across the edges of the box. I frowned.

"Nothing!" I half-yelled at him. He cocked an eyebrow at me. I folded my arms.

"Maybe I could just..." He started opening the edge and my heart nearly burst out of me. I yelled again.

"Stop!" I grabbed hold of his arm to no avail...in fact, I'm sure that's when the lid went flying off. I slapped my hand against my forehead. Lying there, at the top of the box, was a picture of me and Greg taken way back at the start of my time in the lab. His hair was different - more...spiky - and he had an arm around my shoulders. I was grinning. And I didn't have a fringe. Plain weird if you ask me. "Oh-no..." I groaned.

"Allie, that's-"

"Awful, terrible, bad - I know! But I liked it." I shuffled my foot against the hard oak floor. He looked up at me and smiled.

"It's great." Que the lopsided smile here. My stomach twisted around. I put my head off to one-side.

"Really?"

"Yeah. You know, I have one of us, too somewhere..." He trailed off, thinking. Then he pulled off that picture to reveal another. This time it was me staring intently at Greg who had his thumbs up, grinning like a fool. I rolled my eyes.

"Well, I pretty much have them all." I mumbled, heading over to the couch. The next picture he'd find would be me, him and Nick, only Nick looked away so it was just me and Greg.

"Jeez, it's like a...a-"

"Weird-ass shrine dedicating something that we both knew was great but is currently in the midst of coming to an end." I sighed. I only put the box together after, I think, the second time Greg saved my life. I let out a small laugh.

"What?"

"I was just thinking...if it wasn't for you, I might have had no head anymore."

"Michael?" I was surprised he knew exactly what I was talking about. Even I had my moments where _I_ didn't know what I was talking about.

"Mm. There's a picture in there from that night, you know."

"At the nurse's station?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Yeah! You know, she had a thing for you." I walked up to him.

"Really?"

"Mm-hm."

"Well," He pointed to himself. "Who wouldn't?"

"Someone truly, truly insane!" I laughed. I hadn't noticed but he had a hand on my waist. I was facing him, with my back towards the table where he was still looking through the box.

"When was this taken?"

I glanced at the picture; Me and Greg sitting outside the lab eating ice-cream. I frowned. Honestly, I had no idea. We were staring intently at each other. It was _such_ a cliche. I rolled my eyes. "I...can't remember it."

"Sure you do!"

"No- oh, the day? Yeah, sure I remember that." I grinned. It was a really warm day in the lab, so everybody went outside to eat their lunch. Except Grissom and Sara, come to think of it. It was a week after our first date and we were getting mocked for our flirtatious behaviour, as Warrick oh-so-kindly put it. I smiled.

"Allie...how about I go to Miami?"

"What?" I shrieked.

"Well, it's obvious you don't wanna go-"

"Whoa, whoa up... I only have issues about leaving cause of you." I protested. "You're the reason I have issues, I mean."

"Oh." He said, as if this was the first he'd heard of this.

"Greg...you know I don't _want_ to leave you. I kind of...have to..." My eyes started to sting. Not again! Greg nodded, swallowing.

"Yeah, but..."

"No buts. You belong in Vegas."

"Well, so do you."

"But Greg-"

"No! Now, I waited seven months to ask you out - well, for Nick to ask you out, I suppose - and now you have to move-"

"Switch."

"Switch, then, because Smith said so. Just because Caine wants you doesn't mean he can have you." He put the picture down. "You can't always get what you want." He mumbled. By now, the sting had turned into real tears which had started rolling out of my eyes and down my cheek.

"I know, Greg."

"I should probably-"

"No!" I wiped a tear away before he could notice I was crying. He blinked rapidly.

"It would be better-"

"Shut. Up." I put a finger to his mouth. "Now listen, don't you start, because if you cry, then I'll cry and then it's a whole...thing." He was still blinking and I was sure there were tears forming at the side of his eye. I swallowed. I hated seeing men cry. Women, you kind of expected it from. But men crying just...broke my heart.

"Allie..." He pulled me a little closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck. "We're detaching, remember?"

"Stupid detachment..." I kissed him. I honestly _could not_ help it. I rolled my eyes, pulling away. "Anyways, uh, I'll take the hall...you can take...the kitchen!" I snapped my fingers towards the room. "All I'll need is my coffee and, uh...my spoon collection!"

"You've got a spoon collection?" Greg followed me to the hall.

"Mm. Teaspoons, mostly. My grandma used to collect them. Third drawer from the top on the left hand-" I swivelled round, only to walk _right_ into Greg's arms. I giggled. Greg slid a hand up my arm. It felt nice. I coughed and returned to my walking. "Left hand side, Greg. Third drawer from the top." I entered the hall only to hear Greg's footsteps around me. I tutted. "Oh, what now?"

"I just...wanted to hang around with you, was all."

"What do you- It was _you_ who brought _me_ here?!"

"Yeah. I did." He smirked, handing me a nice picture of Dylan and Frank. I put it into my bag.

"Oh." I frowned. I got more pictures and, about an hour later, I think everything I could take was packed up. Pictures and trinkets, mostly. The spoons took up only a small amount of space. I sighed, sitting next to Greg and handing him a soda. "You know, I'm gonna miss this place."

"Really?"

"Of course! It's my house."

"You saying you're not gonna miss my house?"

"Uh, no...I'm saying I'll miss this place. I grew up here, you know."

"I know."

"I mean, Dylan and Frank will undoubtedly have great memories about this place. Dylan burnt his hand on the iron over there-" I pointed to right behind me. "Last year. And, in the hall out there, Frank fell down the stairs and nearly broke his wrist. Granted, those aren't _great_ memories, but..." I trailed off, thinking more about everything to do with this house. A tear somehow wrangled it's way down my face only to be wiped off seconds later. Not me, this time. Greg. I looked up at him.

"Jeez, you're emotional." He teased, taking my hand and running his finger along it.

"I never cry, you know."

"I know." He repeated.

"You know everything, don't you?"

"Yep. I know it all." He winked at me. I frowned.

"So, when you were a kid...did your mom ever tell you about shoes?"

"Shoes?"

"Yeah. My mom always told me stories about shoes. Christmas shoes, Easter shoes, Halloween shoes, April Fools shoes...granted, she's a retail manager but all my child-hood stories were...about shoes."

"No, actually, all my stories were cautionary tales, like 'Jim-"

"'The Boy Who Ran Away From His Nanny And Got Eaten By A Lion'" We said, at exactly the same time.

"I think you were more than a little impressed by that."

"I was!" He laughed.

"So..."

"Oh, hey!"

"What?"

"You don't have a bed!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm gonna leave Frank and Diane about two-hundred bucks for a new one. Should get them something, at least, middle of the road." We sat quietly, pondering and reflecting, I assume.

"Easter shoes?" Greg asked after a moment.

I laughed and nodded. "Easter shoes. They were white, orange, pink, high heeled, peep toes. Gorgeous and fitted the bunny superbly."

"I see...and how about the Christmas shoes?"

"Mm...red and green. Black lace on the inside."

"Halloween?"

"Orange and black with pumpkins on the bottom. April fool's shoes always terrified me. Clowns and laughing babies. Eugh." I shuddered at the memory. Greg laughed and put his arms around me. Then there was a knock at the door. He got up and answered it.

"Allie?" He called out a moment later. I got up and went out to him.

"Yes?"

"This is for you." He handed me a box. We thanked the delivery man and opened the box. It was small, pink and kind of cute. Greg grinned at me. "I know what it is." He rubbed his hands together gleefully. I rolled my eyes.

"How would you- Oh, my gosh!" I squealed. It was the loveliest necklace I'd ever seen. A plain, silver chain with two hearts interlinked as the main subject. One of them had diamonds on them. Real or fake, they were amazing. I gasped. "They're so gorgeous!"

"Glad you like them. They're a bit late..." He frowned. I smiled. _Now_ I didn't want to leave at all. I leant over and kissed him. On the cheek, but it still counted.

"Thank you..." I croaked out. This was bad. Worse than I thought. I knew I loved him...

But I never knew I was in love with him.

O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O.O

**A/N:** Dun, dun, dun!!! So, thanks to all the reviewers (Michelle, you rock! Rachel - In my next story, _you_ will be _such_ a major cameo, it is UNBELIEVABLE! Also, Michelle...you're character will get way more screen time ;) and thanks to all the people getting alerts on this story. It will be coming to and end, maybe, sometime in the next two weeks, I am sad to say. Well, not sad, but _I will_ miss this story severely. Anywho, please R&R! By the way, I'm trying to get up to seventy reviews at most before it finishes. Byeee! JauntyChick XOX


	47. Chapter FortySix

Ch. 46 (Allie POV! Squee!)

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I stayed in my own house that night. The next day I spent the whole time cleaning both mine and Greg's houses. I finished up at around seven-thirty and then I went to the lab to clean out my locker. It was so...strange, I think is the word, to see the past, nearly a year of my life being packed up. I left a few things with Hodges, a nice blouse for Catherine - a little bigger than she's used to, but it _was_ a lovely top -, a watch for Sara, a picture of me, Nick and Warrick for, uh, Warrick and a collection of CDs for Nick. I bought Grissom a crystal clock in the shape of an ant farm. There were these tiny, cute little engraved ants through it. I loved it. And for a certain lab-rat of my affections? What could I get him? I'd already told him I loved him...he'd saved my life and I'd given him...well, nothing really. The box? The box! That was a brilliant idea! Although, I would have to steal a few of those photos myself. Anyway, I never saw Greg at all that day. So, I went over to Frank and Diane's for a while. I had told them a few days before that I was leaving so I had to drop the keys in with Frank. Diane had told me that she'd never seen him cry so much.

"Sorry, Diane." I smiled, pitifully. She laughed.

"Oh, honey! He loves you. You're like the sister he never had. Or will ever have." She put that last bit in quickly. "But honestly...I think you'll miss Greg the most out of all of us."

"Well..." I sighed, drinking the remaining amount of coffee in my cup. "I wouldn't say the most-"

"Oh, tosh! How's he taking it?"

"Well enough, I think. At least he's talking to me."

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(Third person, NOT Allie POV. Repeat: NOT Allie POV!!!)

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Nick Stokes walked down the hall of the lab, headed to the lockers, and cussed as he walked into the door. A foolish thing to do, admittedly. However, he needed to change his shirt. Sometimes, he cursed Grissom up and down for his 'experiments'. Always messy and always grotesque. As he reached the lockers, he noticed a person sitting with their head in their hands, faced toward the locker. He recognized that person immediately as Greg Sanders.

"Hey, Greggo. What's up?" He opened his locker and changed his shirt, quickly. He turned round to see Greg furiously rubbing his eyes. He sniffed and looked up.

"Hi, Nick." He turned round and smiled, eyes red-rimmed, biting his lower lip.

"You okay, man? You're not looking so hot."

"Yeah, I'm okay." Greg stood up. Nick furrowed his eyebrows. He saw Greg blinking and groaned.

"Man, no, you're not. Look, Allie doesn't want Allie to go either, but she actually has to, Greg. There's really not much we can do about it, I'm afraid." Nick sat beside Greg and looked right at him. Greg nodded.

"I know."

"But you can't let her go, huh?"

"No."

"You have to."

"I know!" Greg snapped. "But...I love her, Nick." He shook his head.

"Sometimes, that happens. We get involved, then we get our hearts broken. That's life." Nick patted Greg on the back and left the room. Greg rolled his eyes and walked off to the lab. What a rotten week, he thought.

**A/N: **Aaw, poor Greg! Even _I _feel sorry for him. Anywho...please R&R! Thanks! Only 591 words here, I think. Sorry! LOL. JauntyChick XOX


	48. Chapter FortySeven

Ch. 47

Five in the morning. No one should ever have to experience waking up at that particular hour. And not being able to sleep again didn't make matters any better. I sat and watched the outside of my window. I sighed, deciding it was better to be up and about. My hand didn't seem to be able to stop shaking, which was annoying. I had a shower, fixed my hair, had my breakfast, got changed - three times! -, brushed my teeth, watched some TV and that still only took me to 7AM. I mentally kicked myself. I pulled on a jacket and got into my car. I turned on the radio and ignition. People in my neighbourhood weren't familiar with car sounds at this time of day. Most were only just waking up, in fact. I switched along my radio. Nothing good, so I ruffled through my CD collection. There was a mix tape from Greg, made a few weeks ago. I smiled and put it in. The first song was 'Hey There, Delilah' by the Plain White T's. I flicked a few places into the CD and settled on 'Punk Rock 101' by Bowling For Soup. I remembered a great time in the lab, listening to this song. It had something to do with us both wearing our new Vans.

'_My spiked hair, your new Vans, let's throw our rock hands up for punk rock 101!'_

I sighed and switched to the next song. Oh, great, I thought. 'Extraordinary' by Liz Phair. A chick song, by all means, but Greg generally played it in the lab. Flick, flick, flick. All Greg reminders. I took the CD out and threw it back in it's case. Otis Redding should be here...aha! There he is.

'_Sittin' in the morning sun, I'll be sittin' when the evening comes...watchin' the ships roll in, and I'll watch them roll away again, yeah...I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay, watchin' the tide roll away, ooh, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay...wastin' time..." _

Good old Otis. Always good for a listen. I pulled up to the lab and watched the front door. I wondered if Grissom would be there yet. There was a rapping at my window about fifteen minutes later. I gasped and turned to face Grissom.

"Speak of the Devil..." I muttered, unlocking my door. Yes, I liked to drive with my door locked. I couldn't help it.

"Hello, Alison. Awfully early for work, isn't it?" He half-smiled. I nodded, turning Otis off.

"Yeah. Woke up at five, Grissom." I sighed, smiling. "Couldn't sleep. Shaky hand. Impossibly tired. It's my last day, you know?" I asked, even though I knew he knew. Does that even make sense?

"So I've heard." He said, solemnly. "Looking forward to it, yet?"

"No." I swallowed.

"Wanna go get a coffee?" He motioned to the lab. I opened the door wider and got out. I had a plain white, flouncy-sleeved blouse with a red vest-top over it, grey and black diamond-patterned skirt and my Vans. You wouldn't think it matched, but surprisingly enough, it did. "So, have you cleared out your locker?"

"Yep. I think Hodges is taking it over. Mine's bigger."

"Oh." Grissom smiled at me as we walked into the lab. I looked down at the floor. The place was unsurprisingly empty. Ted was sitting across from the microscope...sleeping! My replacement shouldn't sleep on the job, nothing to process or not - sleeping is illegal and wrong! Well, not really illegal, but _wrong_! I felt like getting in there and slapping him across the head. _That'd_ wake him up. "You know, I used to collect tiny ants. They kept getting out though, so..." He shrugged. I smiled weakly. I really couldn't have focused on real lab work, so I was glad that I didn't have to. Four hours of meandering about then get the bus, get to Miami and start as quickly as possible.

"And don't get attached to anyone in the lab." I thought out loud. Grissom stopped and turned to me, confused.

"Excuse me?"

"Uh, I just...I thought I was thinking that instead of saying it. Sorry." I fumbled with my blouse sleeve. I couldn't help it. It was flouncy. He nodded.

"About your new lab."

"Not my lab, Grissom. Horatio's lab."

"So that's how you see it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I know you think of this lab as your own. You think of your co-workers as family-"

"Extended." I added quickly, with a smile. A real one, too. Grissom smiled. We entered the break room and he started boiling the kettle.

"Okay. Extended family, then."

"Mm. If I had Warrick and Nicky as kids, I'd never complain." I laughed, settling down into the recliner, generally taken over by Nick. "Of course, Catherine would be the crazy aunt. You and Sara would be the parental units." He smiled widely at this. A strange sight indeed. "Ecklie was definitely the annoying neighbour."

"And Greg?"

"Ha." I waved my hand at Grissom. "As if you have to ask." He nodded, understandingly.

"You two always seemed...to fit." He looked out at the corridor. I was surprised at his choice of words...very un-Grissom-ish.

"I guess some people are like that, huh?" I followed his gaze. Sara Sidle had just breezed in. I really wasn't in shock over this. She seemed like a morning person. And if you take a workaholic and an early bird, what do you get? Well, Sara Sidle, obviously. "You tell her yet?"

"No." Grissom said, quickly. He handed me a coffee - boiling hot, by the way. Absolutely _no_ way this was going anywhere near me for at least fifteen minutes! - and sat opposite me.

"Grissom!" I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Man, get over your fears." He sighed, obviously desperate to change the subject. I complied with his wishes - letting the subject go -, too tired to argue. Stupid alarm clock. When in Miami, I'd definitely have to use my phone's alarm.

"What are your thoughts on Ted?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Ted? Are you kidding me with this guy? I mean, I've been training him...and I've trained him well, but he is out there sleeping - _sleeping_ - on the job. I've gone eighteen hours on my shift before. Never once made a mistake. Never slept. Didn't have dinner. Two bathroom breaks." I said, proudly. Grissom nodded.

"That's why you're one of our three best techs."

"Mm." I took a sip of the coffee. Cooled down a little, but not quite enough. Seven minutes more should do it. "But still, I had to pick Ted as a replacement. Greg's not fond of him, Hodges hates his guts, but he has potential." I frowned. "How are the bugs, Grissom?"

"Fine, fine...lost one of them yesterday, though. Jorge. Cockroach. A good runner."

"Ah. Sorry." I bobbed my head, sympathetically. Suddenly, he looked at me funnily. Sort of...confused and annoyed, but slightly melancholic.

"It wasn't your fault...was it?"

"No!" I shrieked. "No! Definitely not!" He relaxed. "I wouldn't have ever touched your bugs without your permission!"

"That's okay." He held a hand out. I exhaled. Man, he really worried me sometimes.

"What time is it anyway?"

"The time is..." He rolled his sleeve up, checking his watch. "Eight. Well, nearly eight." He squinted. I smiled.

"They should be arriving soon."

"Yep. Better go and set up the office." Grissom stood up an finished his coffee. "How about lunch?"

"Huh?"

"All of us. Today? My lunch is one."

"Uh, yeah. Sure." I nodded. Grissom smirked and left the room. I sat back in the recliner and started sipping my coffee. A half hour later, the whole team arrived. Catherine was first in to the coffee pot, then Warrick, Nick and finally, Greg. He was quieter than usual. Made his coffee, drank it in no less than five minutes and the headed off to work. I stood up. "Guess I'd better go and sort out some stuff, then." I waved in the general direction of everyone in the room and left. As I walked down the corridor, I couldn't help but reminisce. My first day here had been hectic. Greg showed me around, making bad-cheesy pick-up lines, and touching the small of my back too much. Now, though, I would've killed for that. I met Hodges not one hour after arriving in my lab. What an annoyance he was. I really felt like slapping him that day. Catherine was nice, though. I may as well have been invisible to Grissom. Warrick and Nick were just...well, Warrick and Nick really. I wondered what the new team would be like. I'd met Horatio and Eric Delko before. Supposedly, Ryan Wolfe had joined the team. I'd only met him once before but he seemed nice. Had a similar look to Greg but not as...not as dynamic, I think. Greg had better hair, too. I walked right past the lab, not looking up and headed to Trace. Hodges usually hung about there. Me and Greg used to call him a lurker. I walked in, brought over a chair and plopped myself down next to him.

"Yes?" He questioned after a moment's silence.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just thinkin'."

"About me, I hope?" He said, absentmindedly. I could tell it was absent-minded as he was actually meant to be analyzing a patch of carpet. I smiled.

"Isn't that always what I think about, Hodges? No, actually...I was thinking about coffee."

"Don't we all." He muttered.

"Blue Hawaiian to be precise. I need you to run across the road and buy me ten packs of the stuff." I said, pulling my wallet out of my back pocket. This seemed to have gotten his attention.

"Sorry. I thought you said 'ten packs'."

"I did."

"Oh." He got up. Then sat down again. But only before doing the same thing. I frowned. "Can it wait til I'm done here?"

"Sure." I nodded. "It's for Greg."

"Ah. Something to remember you by, huh?" He smirked. I smiled.

"Mm. Something like that."

"What did you get me?"

"Can't tell you." But I can tell _you_ that it is a pretty nifty voucher that gets you into Hodges' three favourite eateries. Should get him at least eight nice meals. "Hope you'll like it, though." He nodded any sat quietly for a few minutes.

"Any luck with the girl of my dreams, Al?" This had to be a first. He called me Al. Amazed, I managed to stammer something out.

"Not...not quite. I might find her in Miami and package her off to you, though." I smiled.

"Gee, thanks. It's okay. I hear we're supposed to be getting a blonde in. Green eyes, however, don't impress me."

"Nice, Hodges." I stood up. "So are you coming to lunch with us later?"

"By 'us', who do 'we' mean?"

"By 'us', 'I' mean me, Grissom, Sara, Nick, Warrick and Catherine." I nodded, grinning a little. "Greg, too, of course."

"Ah, yes. The inevitable team dinner. Miami never gave me one of those."

"Didn't they say you had 'attitude issues'?"

"I'll see you at lunch, Moore." I chuckled and left the room.

A little while later, Hodges did as he was told and brought me the coffee. I stashed it tall in Greg's locker. Hopefully, he would check in there after I left. I shook that thought away. Of course he'd look in his locker. I laughed, closing Greg's locker. I nearly jumped out of my skin as I saw the man himself right behind it. I gasped and shouted out at the same time.

"Oh, man! Greg!" I put a hand over my - thumping - heart. Greg laughed and stared down at his feet.

"Sorry." He held his hands up, turning round to face me. "Just wondering what you were doing secreting things in your locker."

"I-I wasn't secreting anything!" I shrieked, holding my hands up and backing against the locker. "Honest."

"Oh..." He nodded, half-grinning. "So, if I find something in there that isn't supposed to be in there...you're not to blame?"

"Nope." I shook my head. "Definitely not."

"Uh-huh." He glanced me up and down before jumping in front of me, obviously trying to open his locker. I pushed myself against it.

"Gregory Sanders, get your butt out of my way!" I laughed. For the first time all week, everything seemed normal again. He smiled at me, trying to wrestle me away from the door. It worked. I was distracted momentarily. Damn that cute smile of his. He laughed.

"This had better not be anything bad." He opened it up, seeing all ten large packs of Blue Hawaiian. He stands there, agape for a few seconds before I slap him back to reality.

"Well?"

"Well? Oh, my god, Allie - this is the best thing anyone has ever done for me!" He threw his hands in the air, admiring my handy-work. "Well..." He shrugged. "One of the best things, anyway." He turned round to me and hugged me, tightly. I winced, knowing we shouldn't even be exchanging pleasantries. Everything he said made me love him even more.

"Uh, Greg..."

"Mm?"

"You're coming to lunch later, right?"

"What lunch?" He pulled away.

"The, uh, my 'leaving dinner'."

"Oh. Yeah! Of course." He looked into my eyes. I looked away quickly.

"Good." I said, trying to free myself of Greg's arms. He remained stubborn. I began to laugh slightly as he stumbled slightly resulting in us falling over against the locker couch/bench. Greg stared right at me for a moment. Right there and then, I could've died a happy man. Well, woman obviously...you get the phrase!

"Y-you have really cool eyes." He stammered slightly at the beginning of his statement.

"Thanks." I gasped. He still had his arms around my waist. Suddenly, he leant forward and kissed me. Uberly gentle, it was, too. I rolled my eyes and then...nothing. I just let the feeling wash over me. It was amazing. Pure brilliance! I ran a hand through his hair. There didn't seem to be any sort of gel or mousse in there, which shocked me. We heard a noise outside and quickly regained our composure. I frowned, cursing whomever had just dropped something outside the door. "So, uh...see you at lunch?"

"Mm-hm." He smiled, shutting his locker door. "Looking forward to it."

I nodded, slightly out of breath from the shock of the clatter outside. That and the kiss... I shook my head. This was all extremely confusing to me. Fun, but slightly confusing. Damn Greg Sanders, I thought as I headed into my lab. Yes. _My_ lab.

For the next five hours or so, anyway.

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**A/N: **Hi everyone! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter as much as I liked writing it. It started out kind of...miserable, to say the least, and now I decided to re-write and jauntify! LOL. Not word, I know. So, R&R for me please...only four chapters to go before the end!!! Have a brilliant day, JauntyChick XOX

(PS: 2, 454 words - woo!)


	49. Chapter FortyEight

Ch. 48 (Allie POV, of course ;)

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Lunchtime came and, as promised, we all met up in the break room. Nick was, as per usual, five or six minutes late. A few moments later, everybody set out to The White Rose Café. Now a booming little business. I told Greg that it was definitely my influence on the place. I took my car, but Greg decided he'd go as my passenger. I rolled my eyes, not able to say no. Nick took Warrick and Catherine, Hodges went in his own car and - of course! - Grissom and Sara headed off on their own little world. I turned on the radio. Of course, I'd left Otis in. Greg scoffed. I turned to face him slightly, whilst also trying to watch the road.

"What?"

"Otis? My mom likes Otis."

"Yeah? Your mom obviously has good taste." I smirked, glancing out of my window. "I _assume_ she likes you?"

He arched an eyebrow. "You shouldn't assume."

"Gregory, any woman would be mad not to like you. It's something about-"

"My personality?"

"Uh..."

"Undeniable wit? Charm? Amazing good looks?" He teased. My stupid heart decided to travel up to my throat, making me feel slightly odd...in a great, amazing way.

"How about..." I looked over at him quickly and smiled. "All of the above?"

"Oh, yeah!" He laughed, cracking the window slightly. I giggled.

"So...what is it about me you like? Brilliant skills with CODIS? The way I can tell Hodges off and not even show the teeniest, tiniest bit of remorse? Looks?"

"Definitely...if I said looks, you'd hit me, right?"

"Right." I nodded. He scoffed.

"Your eyes, smile...those count as looks?"

"Yes!" I laughed. "They do."

"Personality, sense of humour...lovely hair?"

"I'll let you away with that one, I guess." I sighed, contentedly. Something about chatting like this made me want to never leave Greg's side at all, never mind going to Miami.

"You know what I really like?" Greg said after a while. I jumped back to reality.

"Uh...alleles?" Don't ask me why, but that was the first word that sprung into my head.

"No-well...apart from alleles. I really like music." I thought he was chatting complete nonsense until I looked over to see him fingering the mix tape he'd made me. I swallowed. "If I didn't work in the lab, you know, I would definitely consider working in a record store."

I nodded. "I'd work in a book store."

"You'd make a cute librarian."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Librarian's are supposed to be scary. You're not scary."

"I can be." I winked. He shook his head.

"I've never seen you angry."

"You've never enraged me, Sanders."

"Good to know." He smiled. "Is there...do you ever...when you're supposed to be thinkin of DNA and stuff, does your mind ever...drift off?"

"Uh...to what?"

"Well, uh, sometimes...nah, nevermind."

"No, go on. I'm intrigued."

"Well, you pop into my head a lot when I'm processing stuff." He smirked and bowed his head. "Just...sorry."

"Greg!" I yelled.

"What?"

"Thank you! Man, I thought I was the only one who did that."

"Really? So, uh..." He grinned wildly. He was about to say something when I blundered in. I couldn't help it.

"Do you ever get, like, a nervous-stomach-feeling?" Well, I was hardly gonna call it a flutter, now was I?

"Uh-sometimes."

I mentally jumped up and down excitedly. He was in love, too! Ha, ha! "Really?" I tried to sound normal but it came out bumpy and slightly...stupid, actually.

"Yeah. You?"

"Mm. Occasionally." I waved the thought away, but Greg's eyes never left me. I blushed. "Greg-"

"I love you, Allie."

"Love you, too, but-"

"And, I've been thinking." He breathed strangely. I had seen him do this whenever he tried to stand up to Grissom. Never worked for him, as generally he ended up blushing and staring intently at his feet. "We could still see each other if, say, one of us took a week off at a time. I could go out to Miami or you could come back to Vegas. That could work...?"

"Firstly, we can still go out. Just, well...we wouldn't be going out per se. Secondly, that would never work. We're both too tied to out jobs."

"Oh."

"Good try, though." I mumbled, putting Greg's mix tape in. He looked away for a while, obviously in his own world. At the red light, I managed to get a good look at him. He was actually quite fun to watch sometimes. Especially when he thought nobody was watching him. Now _that_ was cute. I smirked. Suddenly, someone honked their horn behind us. I jumped. Greg turned to look at me.

"What was that all about?" He asked, eyebrows way up in the air.

"Uh...oh, that? Huh." I shrugged. "Nothing. Momentarily distracted was all." Yeah, by _you_! Several more minutes of traffic and we all finally parked across from the White Rose Café. Greg took a hold of my hand as we walked in. Antoinette - honestly, that girl must just constantly work! - greeted us nicely. Especially Nick. He grabbed hold of my free arm as we entered. Antoinette wasn't buying it, though. Catherine remarked how she'd always wanted to own a restaurant of some sort. I could actually imagine her in that role, for some strange reason. Must've been her sincere aggression to getting things done. We were booked into table seventeen, directly looking onto - you guessed it! - table eleven. Greg sat right next to me. Nick was on my other side. Catherine and Warrick chatted complete nonsense back and forth next to each other and Grissom and Sara sat oposite each other, winking and smiling. Slightly creepy, if you ask me, but nevertheless cute. Hodges sat beside Nick and frowned.

"Isn't it nice to be young and in love?" He mocked, sighing. Nick coughed before taking a sip of water. Antoinette had her eagle-eye on his every move. I laughed.

"I wouldn't know." Nick muttered. "So, Allie..." He continued and I turned round to face him. "Think you'll be able to hack it without all of us?" I swallowed. Honestly, no.

"Oh, Nicky...I think I'll manage." My voice turned deeper. I really wondered if it was coming out of me.

"Well, we won't! Look at what we've got left!" Catherine took a quick sip of her water. "You're the only lab-rat left that ever gets things done when you want them done. Those two would hold off on work for a week if they could." She pointed to Greg and Hodges. I laughed, knowing she was right. Although, Greg would've bent over backwards so as Grissom would give him some sort of pat on the back.

"Yeah, I hear that." Myself and Warrick said in unison. Everyone turned round to stare at us. I shrugged, digging my head into the menu. "Oh. My. God!"

"What?" Hodges bolted upright and glared at me. I grinned.

"Creme brulee, Hodges. _Just_ creme brulee." He nestled back down. Such a gossip monger. Catherine rolled her eyes. Sara turned to face me.

"I _love_ your necklace, Allie. It's really nice." She nodded enthusiastically. Absent-mindedly, I had been sitting here the whole time touching it and playing with it. I mentally rolled my eyes.

"Thanks." I looked over at Greg who was chatting randomly to Hodges and Nick. "Greg got it for me." She nodded understandingly. "Did you get your hair done?" Something was different about her.

"Yeah. Cut, curled. I just...had enough of the old 'do." She grinned. I nodded. Antoinette came over and started taking our orders, making sure to stand three inches away from Nick. I stifled a laugh as I ordered a ham baguette and a creme brulee. Catherine was the only other adventurer having dessert after her lunch. Sometime during the lunch, she moved over beside me. Everyone was chatting away. Occasionally Greg would take my hand and squeeze it. Catherine nestled herself so as she was comfy.

"How are you holding up, Al?"

"Uh...fine. This brulee is by far the best I've ever had." I stuck my spoon in and waded into the - too - small container. She tutted.

"I actually meant between you and him." She cocked her head towards Greg. I shrugged.

"He seems perfectly happy."

"Are you?"

"Mm...I suppose I'm okay. Now. Might be different when I actually _am_ leaving." I smiled. Catherine smiled. Her eyes _always_ had a twinkle in them. Under other circumstances, I would've put it down to the sparkly jacket she was wearing. But that wasn't it. I sighed. Generally that sparkle made you want to tell her something that you hadn't intended to. It was like a sparkle of truth or something. "Cath, I have a feeling that Greg's ignoring all of this."

"What? How could he 'ignore' this?"

"Well, he seems to be doing a pretty good job of it." Man, I was a bad whisperer. Although, I was sure no one heard me because of the loud salsa music being played in the background.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it, Allie. Let him move on in his own time." Her lips were smiling but her eyes were deadly serious.

"But-"

"No buts. Enjoy your last, what...?" She trailed off, looking at her watch. "Four remaining hours in the lab. Please?"

"Fine."

"And don't worry about Greg. We'll look after him."

"He's planning, Cath. He only plans when things are at their very, very worst."

"What kind of plans?"

"How we'd see each other after I leave. I'm kind of worried, you know."

"I know." She placed her hand on my back. "Don't you worry, Al. He'll be fine." I only hoped she was right.

A little while later, we'd just finished the lunch. Sara _had_ to decide on speeches. Not that I wasn't flattered or anything, but I just _knew_ this would make me cry. Warrick stood up first.

"Allie, you are an amazing technician. You are...by far, the most evil person I know..." I laughed. "But we're very fond of you. And we will miss you incredibly. You're kind, smart...you're just you. Good luck, Al." I smiled.

"Thanks, Rick." Oh, man...this was gonna be hard. Sara came next.

"Allie, uh, I have great faith in your advice, you're fun, smart and incredibly unique. All the best, okay?" She smiled and handed me a bag. "Don't open this until you get to Miami." She winked. I nodded, extremely curious. Nick stood up then, only to be shushed by Hodges.

"Moore. Despite myself...I might actually miss you a little bit." He sat back down again. Then he stood up. "Or...a lot. Good luck." I grinned. He spoke so fast.

"Hodges..." Nick smiled.

"Oh, don't you start." Hodges half-snapped. Everyone laughed. Nick shook his head and stood up.

"You are...one of the most incredibly nicest girls I have ever met." He handed me a box with an envelope taped on top of it. "Smart, funny, cute...you _excel_ on CODIS." He snickered. "Allie, I hope you like Miami...and I hope you get promoted or have your own lab or whatever it is you guys get. But, now this is a serious one, I will do everything I can to make sure you can get your job back if you so desire. Take it easy." He saluted and sat back down. I was impressed. Never thought Nick had it in him.

"Wow..." I muttered. I actually had no words.

Greg's turn now. "Uh..." He cleared his throat. "Allie...you are the most amazing thing ever to happen to me..." Imagine Greg Sanders stuttering out and doing elaborate hand gestures...yeah. That's what he was doing. "Y-you have completely just- utterly- shook my life up. In a good way, obviously. I wish you...all the best...but I...I love you and I'll really miss you." He nodded and sat back down. Catherine bobbed her head to the side, in awe, I reckon. I blinked.

"Oh, Greg..." I smiled. After a few awkward moments of quiet, Grissom cleared his throat and stood up.

"Alison. You are...first and foremost an enigmatic, amazing, fantastic person. You have a certain...quality about you. Funny, witty, smart. Beautiful inside and out." He smiled, taking his glasses off. When exactly did he put his glasses _on_? "Second of all, you're great at your job. You deserve the best and that is what you should have. No matter at what cost." I glanced at Greg who was staring intensely at his plate. I swallowed. Grissom continued. "I have never heard anyone say anything remotely bad about you since you came here."

"Thanks." I muttered. This was so nice...so scary, though. I knew I'd have to leave, but this was all getting a bit too much.

"On top of that, you have managed to make everyone here very happy, if only for a short amount of time." He raised his glass. About one second later, everyone did the same. "To Allie. May you have the best time of your life." He half-smirked. There was a familiar feeling of speechlessness, stingy eyes and a lumpy throat. Oh, man...here come the tears. I stood up.

"Thanks, t-to all of you. You've made my ten or eleven months here extremely nice. Warrick, Nick...you two are great. Like brothers to me. Sara, Cath...what can I say? You two have always been so nice to me...thank you both." The looked at each other and grinned. Hodges?" Stupid tears rolled down my cheek. "You have amazing wit...I know, underneath it all, you're really sweet. Just...embrace it, okay?" He nodded, glaring at the floor. "You're a really cool guy, Hodges. Don't lose that." I turned to Greg. "I think, Sanders...that I have said all I can say to you." Oh, no...more tears. Stupid, hiccup tears.

"Here." Warrick handed me a hanky. I graciously accepted and shoved it in my pocket.

"You're amazingly funny, cute...I absolutely _love_ your hair!" Everyone laughed. Greg stared up at me. I mentally kicked myself in the stomach. It would _not_ stop fluttering. Maybe I really was sick... "I love you, too. Be good huh?" I was about to sit down when I remembered. "Oh! Man, how could I forget." I rubbed my eyes down with my sleeve. "Grissom...really, all I could say about you is..." I bit my lower lip. "You rock!" He laughed lightly and nodded.

"Thank you, Allie."

"I love all you guys _so_ much and-" Hiccup. "You've made me so happy-" Cry. "So-" Hiccup. Tsk. "Thank you all." I sat back down, suddenly my tears just stopped. "Oh." I gasped. Sara's phone started ringing away in her bag.

"Oh, uh- excuse me, I will be _right_ back." She got up and ran outside to answer her phone. Everyone started chattering again. Grissom leant over the table.

"You did great, Alison. I'm proud of you." He smiled. I returned th favour.

"Glad _you_ thought so."

"I did. Look, I have a present for you but it's still in the lab, so." He shrugged, taking a quick sip of coffee. I laughed.

"You shouldn't have. But...I got you something, too." Suddenly, I felt something warm and soft over my hand. Greg had covered my hand with his own. Grissom took the hint and started talking to Catherine and the boys.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Mm-hm. Just got a bit...overwhelmed. Sorry."

"I meant it, you know. I will miss you." He looked right at me. I hoped I looked okay. My eyes were probably blood-shot. I knew people who could cry for hours and hours on end and never turn the slightest bit red, but me...I always looked like a lobster afterwards.

"I'll miss you too. Look, this whole detachment thing never worked for us."

"I noticed." He nodded. "So, uh...I have something for you but it's in your locker."

"Hey!" I raised my eyebrows. "You were the one giving me grief because I gave you coffee!"

"And I'm really glad you did."

"Buzzkill."

Sara waltzed back in, out of breath. "Hey, Allie...we have to go. Smith says your taxi lands in an hour."

"An hour?" I yelled. This was not cool! An hour to get my grandma on the phone, my dad, the Meade family, everyone in the lab and Diane and Frank...I had to say goodbye to them all. And I didn't want to. Not one bit.

**A/N:** Wow...this is all so DRAMATIC! LOL. Anywho, going to write chapter forty-nine now...please R&R so as I can get 70 reviews before I finish the story please!!! Have an excellent day, JauntyChick XOX


	50. Chapter FortyNine

Ch. 49 (Allie POV. Enjoy it!)

We all left the restaurant several moments later, I tipped Antoinette thirty dollars and wished her all the best. Greg decided to drive this time. I actually couldn't be bothered to argue. I felt my eyes starting to well up again when Greg was telling me about some cool Van Halen songs he downloaded.

"I mean, 'Running With The Devil' is just a pure classic, but 'Jump' has to be the best..." He rambled. I threw my hands up.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I half-yelled. Greg stopped at the red light, quickly turning to face me.

"Doing what?"

"This! _This_, thing!" I sounded as though I was snapping, but I really wasn't. I wasn't mad either, I was just...kind of...nothing, actually. I was happy, mad and could've slapped someone all at once. "It's as if you're ignoring this situation. I-I know, you're not, but that's how it feels, Greg." I explained, calming down slightly. "I don't want this to happen either, but what's gonna happen when I'm actually in Miami? You know as well as I do that as soon as I go like this, all I'll be able to do is worry...about you."

"Well...I- how else are we supposed to leave it?" He asked, defensively. I shook my head.

"I don't know. Maybe we should just...stop. Right now."

"Okay." He frowned, nodded and turned away from me. I wiped a stray couple of tears away.

"That's it?"

"Yep. Detachment, Alison." What? Did he just call me Alison?

"Greg-"

"Just...don't say it." He smiled. I could tell he just wanted me to shut up. I did. The whole way back to the lab was just silence. I hated silence. We parked the car, got out and Greg threw the keys at me. He smiled, feebly, but didn't say anything. This whole situation was just completely tearing me apart. In fact, the sooner I was on that taxi to the airport - the better. I called my dad and grandma, told them I love them and would visit whenever I could. I called Diane who was in the middle of driving to the lab, only _after_ pulling Frank out of school. I was pleased I actually managed to see my grandma before I left. The only blessing to come out of this. Jimmy Mead called, wished me good luck and thanked me for finding him. Michelle was also on her way to the lab. She bounded in several moments after I got off the phone.

"Allie!" She hollered, dark hair flailing madly about the place. She stopped as she reached me, completely out of breath. "I heard you were leaving! Why?!"

"Oh, uh...I was offered-" Yeah, right...ordered! "A position in Miami. I took it." Jimmy obviously hadn't told her.

"Man! That sucks! Tell them you don't want to!" Michelle laughed. I grinned. I didn't want to, but I did. "So, hey...uh, I got you a thing." She handed me a bag. "Earrings. Clip-on ones, though, cause I noticed you didn't have your ears pierced." I smiled for real this time.

"That's so sweet, thanks. Thank you, Michelle." I hugged her. She bobbed her head about.

"Well, hey...you have my number. Call me sometime, okay? A-and make sure to eat well, run every day and eat at least two of your five-a-day."

I laughed. "Alright...you take care, too." I patted her on the arm. She started waling backwards, until she bumped into Nick.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, blushing furiously. She wasn't a good back-walker either. I laughed. Nick shook his head, smirking.

"That's okay. Watch out in future though...can I help you at all?" I quickly rushed over to Nick and Michelle.

"That's alright, Nicky...she's with me. Michelle, this is Nick, Nick this is my, uh, cousin? Yeah. Cousin."

"Oh! Jimmy Mead's girl, right?" He asked, leaning against Judy's desk. Judy, of course, was in awe over Nick. Seriously, that girl had a problem.

"Yeah! Uh, listen...great to meet you...Allie, be good! But I have to go...run a half-a-mile. Stuff." She walked backwards, forward, sideways. Definitely, this girl was a typical ADHD case. I laughed.

"Have fun, Michelle. Take it easy, all right?" Shw waved and headed out the door, running all the way. Nick and me started walking along the lab corridor.

"So...how are you doing?" He asked, quietly.

"Fine." I answered crisply. "Got a sore back, arm hurts. Stupid stomach won't stop doing flip-flops."

"I saw Greg a minute ago. He's pretty broken up over this." Oh. Maybe I mis-estimated his reaction. Was it possible he really hadn't been ignoring this?

"How bad?"

"Very. I've never..." Nick stopped suddenly. I turned to lok at him. He was shaking his head.

"Never what, Nicky?"

"I...have never seen a man so upset over a girl."

Oh, Nick! Way to break my heart! "Really?" Stupid question.

"He's in the locker room. He said you two had a semi-argument in the car."

"We didn't really...I just..." Stupid tears. I wiped them away. "I just asked why he was ignoring this. I mean, if I leave like this, Nick...I'll worry about him. Not that I won't anyway, but..."

"I know. Don't worry, okay?"

"Easy for you to say." I managed. "Nicky, what do I tell him?"

"I can't tell you, Allie. Even if I knew what to say." He smiled and headed into Trace. I threw my hands up and headed to the locker room. Man, what a day. Earlier I'd been kissing Greg here and now I'm gonna have to end it here. Unless... I opened the door to find Greg staring into his locker.

"Greg?" I spoke quietly and for a moment I wondered if I'd even said anything. He turned round. He looked normal enough. He hadn't cried at least. Men crying always got me. He smiled. "We have to talk, man." I walked over and sat next to him. "First things first, this is gonna be stuff you already know. I love you, I would absolutely _love_ to stay here. With you. But Horatio wants me and none of can do anything. I don't want to leave like this. You're not okay, I'm not okay. But then...how do we leave it?"

"First, I love you, too." He tilted his head towards me, but still wasn't giving me eye contact. I swallowed. "Secondly, I'm happy for you. I'm not happy about you leaving me. I will miss you incredibly and I think you should just go now. It would probably be best...all round." He looked at me finally. Tears were frantically making their way down my face. I nodded.

"That's what you think?"

"Yeah. But I still love you..." He smiled, I assumed he was referring to the song. I hoped, anyway.

My heart dropped. I actually thought I was gonna die, right there and then. He may as well have stuck a knife in my heart. I gasp-choked as the tears lodged in my throat. "Oh-kay, then. Well." He blinked rapidly. Suddenly I saw tears forming in his eyes, too. Oh, man. This was like kick-in-the-nuts day for everyone, it seemed. I stood up. "Goodbye, Greg." I opened the door and shut it again as soon as I was on the other side. No. That was the worst way to end it. I burst back in. Greg wiped his eye with the back of his hand. I walked over to him and pushed him against the locker. "Did you really mean that?"

"What?"

"That you love me."

"Yes." He nodded his head. "I always mean it."

"Why say it right then?"

"I-I..."

"Nevermind." I reached up and kissed him. He placed his hands on my back after a minute or two.

"Allie...you should go..." He mumbled. I shook my head.

"In a minute." He pulled me up and continued kissing me. He waited a while before sitting me down on one of the benches. I gasped. "Why did...?"

"This definitely isn't how you should go."

"What would Papa Olaf say, then?"

Greg made a small derisive sound at the back of his throat. I smirked. "He would find a way for you to stay."

"Then do it."

Catherine burst into the room, out of breath. "Allie, Frank and Diane, uh, Driver? They're here to see you." I mentally kicked myself. I turned to Greg.

"Wait here." I ran out into the hall. Frank ran up to me and hugged me tightly. I was slightly taken aback. "Hi, Frank. How are you?"

"Fine." He mumbled into my shoulder. Diane joined the hug next.

"Oh, Allie...we got you a present. It's a hundred bucks." She smiled.

"Diane...Frank...thank you _so_ much." I hugged them tighter.

"You all ready then?" Frank asked. I glanced at my watch.

"Yeah. Taxi's here in twenty."

"Oh, man...we gotta go in five." He said, frowning. We spent the next while chatting randomly and then they left, so I ran back to the locker room. Greg was perched against his locker.

"Hey." He looked up.

"Hey." I said.

"Fifteen minutes left, Moore. What are you gonna do?" He asked, looking skeptical. Suddenly, I felt a bit more confident and happier. I walked forward up to him and backed him against the locker. He looked away. "Allie..."

"Well, at least you're talking to me." I stood up on my tip-toes and kissed him, thus bringing us to fifteen minutes later. Yes, I spent my last fifteen minutes in Heaven. Absolute Heaven.

**A/N:** Wow. I'm really amazed here. Is Allie nuts? Possibly. Is she back and forth like a yoyo? Yes! Is that the best way for her to leave? Probably not. However, if you R&R for me, I might post the last few chapters..._ might_ :)

Have an excellent day, Readers!

JauntyChick

**XOX**

**PS: Thank you so much to everyone for bringing me **_**way**_** past 70 reviews...you guys rock majorly! **


	51. Chapter Fifty

Ch. 50 (Allie Point Of View - woo!)

I was a little late for my taxi, admittedly. I got all my suitcases out of the lab and carried them out. Everyone was gathered in the lab when I got back in. I frowned, hand on hips.

"Okay...when is Ashton gonna pop out of the cupboard and tell me I'm Punk'd?" I asked, grinning. Grissom walked towards me.

"Good luck, Alison. We'll miss you." He handed me an envelope. I gasped. There was a lot in there. "That's from everyone." He smiled and stood back.

"I- thank you all so much. Uh, I'll miss you all, too. Look, if I have any objections, Grissom...could I have my job back if I wanted it?"

"Of course!" Catherine piped up. We laughed. Nick and Warrick pulled me into a hug.

"Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Sure." Then Sara walked up and patted me on the arm.

"You're a great kid, Allie. Enjoy it." Catherine hugged me and stood back. Hodges wasn't here for some reason. Greg, however, hovered over me and pulled me into a hug. Even his hugs were amazing. Warm, friendly...and they smelled like Greg. I smiled. He nodded and pulled away. The taxi beeped it's horn outside. I rolled my eyes.

"I have to go." I said, not moving. Greg put an arm around my waist. So what if it hurts leaving him like this? At least we enjoyed it.

"Bye, Allie." Everyone intoned as Greg walked me out. I waved behind me.

"Be good, people!" I shouted. As we walked out the door, Hodges ran after me and embraced me in a hug.

"Watch out for alligators!" He exclaimed, before walking back to the lab. I shook my head, confused.

"Random, huh?" I said, shuffling my foot against the side of the taxi. Greg looked down at his feet.

"Mm." He cocked his head off to one side. "You have my number, right?"

"Of course. You got mine?"

"Yes. And, hey...you'll be back at Christmas?"

"I'll try." I nodded. "My dad might be bringing my grandma to Miami, though." I blinked. Greg sighed.

"Well...I guess you have to go."

"Yep." Insert awkwardness here. "I guess so."

"Fun while it lasted." He smiled.

"It really was." Oh, no! Not the tears...again? I wiped them away before Greg pulled me into a really tight hug. I placed my arms across his back and then...it was over. We pulled apart and I found many more tears streaming their way down my face. I wiped them away again and sighed. "So, uh...I'll call you?"

He nodded, obviously as upset as I was. Thank God he didn't cry with me. "See you, Moore."

"Bye, Sanders." I reached up and touched his face. He looked away. "Look after yourself, all right? Eat well..." He leaned down and kissed me on the cheek. Suddenly he turned and walked back into the lab. I opened my mouth to call after him, but I shut it again quickly. He was right...this did hurt more. I actually felt a pain in my chest. More of a dull throb when you think about it. I opened the door and sat down. The driver asked me where I was destined for. I thought about saying 'Hell', but that was too rude. I wiped my face.

"Red-Tree Airport, please." I said, softly. He gave me a pitiful smile and started the car.

I looked back at the lab and discovered the one thing that hurt the most...Greg never looked back. I switched on my MP3 player. As I flicked through the songs, I noticed something; They were all Greg. Everything reminded me of him. I out the machine off and threw it in my bag. Everything reminded me of him. I closed my eyes.

**A/N: Hi all! So sorry for the short, emo chapter...hope you all liked it. Pure cliched cheese, I know but it's got a point (I hope!!!). Does anybody on here know how difficult it is trying to master the Norse language? Dude! Honestly, it's as bad as French to learn! **

**Please R&R JauntyChick XOX**


	52. Chapter FiftyOne

Ch. 51 (Probably a mix of POVs...not too sure yet. But for the start, Allie POV!)

The taxi ride seemed to go on forever even though it was only eighteen minutes away. All I could think about was the lab, Greg...and what if I never saw any of them ever again? I wiped my eyes. The poor taxi driver, Joe - yeah, Joe-le-Taxi...go figure! -, must've been worried in case I was going to my death or something. He was slim, dark, short, spiked-up-at-the-front hair, dark eyes, good complexion. Fairly good looking. He spoke softly, too.

"Are you okay?" He asked. I was sure I'd seen him somewhere before. I sniffled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks for asking, though."

"Don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Uh...what's your name?"

"Joe. Joseph Romanello. Not Italian. Everyone just thinks that."

"Ah...Allie Moore."

"Mm. You sure don't sound familiar. You look it, though."

"So do you." Thankfully, I had ceased crying moments before. "Do you, or did you, ever know a Bonnie Moore?"

"Uh...no. Do you?"

"She's my mom." I smiled. He laughed.

"Right. Sorry." He nodded, stopping at the red lights. "May I ask why you asked me?"

"Oh...you might have been an old boyfriend. Sorry."

"Ah, I see." He smirked. I was actually unsure as to whether this guy was a criminal or not. Nah. I quickly shook that thought away. Oh, no...I was thinking about the lab again. A tear fell down my cheek and onto my hand. "So...why are you crying? I-if you don't mind me asking. I don't mean to pry."

"Oh." I laughed lightly. Mostly because that's all I could muster. "Uh...I have to leave my old job." His eyes widened and I was sure I could see light-bulbs going off in his head. Really, really _bad_ light-bulbs. I threw my hands up. "Oh, not for anything _bad_. No. My supervisor got me a 'better opportunity'. So he said, anyway. But you know, I really didn't want to leave. I have a boyfriend, whom I love. Half my family live here. I love this job! Well, I love Vegas. I used to work in Miami, where I'm headed. Me and my big mouth, huh?" I scoffed. Joe looked pretty damn confused, let me tell you. "Sorry. I'm rambling, aren't I? I never mean to ramble, but it just comes out. Badly."

"That's okay. My ex used to ramble."

"It wasn't me, was it?"

"Nope. You're too young." We took a left and then parked the car. "Hey, don't worry about your new job. It'll work out fine, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Joe. So, hey... you seem like a cool guy." I handed him $20. "Get yourself a decent breakfast."

"Oh! That's how I know you!"

"How?"

"You used to work in Miami Dade? So did I!"

I frowned, trying to remember. "Nope, sorry..."

"Yeah! Moore! Lab-tech! I remember you. I used to go to work when you were leaving."

"Oh...Oh! Joe! I think I remember." I did. He was a nice guy. Stood on me a lot. Very clumsy. "So...why are you driving a taxi now, if I can ask?"

"Oh...I'm on my vacation. This is what I do. My passion, if you will. Going back in about...five and a half days." He smiled. "I guess I'll see more of you, then." I nodded, knowing this wasn't the case.

"Yeah. Looking forward to it. See you, Joe." I pulled my suitcases along and waved him off.

"Hey, uh, thanks, Moore!"

"Not a problem, Romanello."

(Third person, POV!)

Greg Sanders, Nick Stokes, Catherine Willows and Warrick Brown were sat in the break room, drinking - No, _examining_ - their coffee. Blue Hawaiian, coincidentally. Catherine heaved a massive sigh, prompting the others to do the same. She looked around and shook her head.

"It's only been an hour. Any chance we could all stop moping now?" She asked, trying to be cheery but letting it slip a little. The men looked at each other before shaking their heads and looking at the floor again.

"Nope." Warrick said, eyeing up the door. Catherine tutted.

"Do you think she'd be pleased about us sitting around like this?" She asked, leaning forward in her seat. Nick and Warrick glared at Greg who shrugged.

"Probably...not." He sighed.

"Well, I have to go. You three can sit and...reminisce. Got cases to solve." She poured the remaining amount of coffee from her cup into the sink and walked over to the couch. "Look, guys...she'll be fine. Stop worrying." With that in mind, Catherine walked out. She had to admit, even she was worried. Greg stirred the tiny spoon around in his coffee. As he stirred it clockwise, anti-clockwise, round and round...he thought about Allie. Then again, it was difficult not to. All day, all he'd thought about, worried about and considered, was - of course - Allie Moore. He wondered if he wished that he had never met her. He mentally slapped himself for ever even entertaining such a thought.

"Nick...did you give her anything?"

"Yeah." He sighed, taking a sip of his, now, cold coffee. "Gave her slippers and seventy bucks."

"Pink slippers?" Greg piped up. "She only likes pink slippers."

"Yeah. Pink and minty green, the woman said."

Warrick tutted. "Man, you remember the time she came in wearing her pyjamas? Grissom called her in early. She _was_ angry!"

Nick laughed. "Mm. And the time she told Ecklie off for giving her 'sass'. All he said was that she was taking her sweet time about getting his test results. Man, she practically _threw_ those results at him!"

Greg never said anything. Just sat there, stirring and considering. It seemed as though the stirring was therapeutic. As he stirred, all his troubles seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Maybe he could just spend the rest of his life stirring. He wondered when he'd actually stop thinking about Her. When exactly would it hurt less...actually, he discovered, it didn't hurt. It just infuriated him. He took the spoon out and threw it on the table. Nick and Warrick turned to look at him. He was stressed, and everyone knew it.

More than that, he was hurting, something Warrick and Nick couldn't help him with.

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**A/N: Hola! Okay, chapters are getting worse, worse and, well, worse - but it's getting more difficult to write! Only two chapters left. Three if you count the epilogue. So, thanks to all my reviewers...maybe you lot could help me out again with the old reviews...pretty, pretty please? **

**Have a brilliant day,**

**JauntyChick**

**X**O**X**


	53. Chapter FiftyTwo

Ch. 52 (Third person again...I know I suck at it, but stick around and enjoy it:)

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Greg waltzed through the corridor, down the hall an into Gilbert Grissom's office. He opened the door, sighed and quickly closed it behind him again. Grissom looked up.

"Yes, Greg?"

"Grissom...I want a transfer."

"A...Greg." Grissom took his glasses off, wiped the lens and placed them back on. "She hasn't even been gone a day yet, Greg. Give it time."

"I can't give it time, Grissom! She's been gone one hour and twenty-eight minutes, but to me...it feels like a whole day. Just, get me to Miami." He put his hands on his hips. "Please."

Grissom sighed. "It would...be extremely folly, Greg, to let both you and Alison to Miami. Seeing as you are both excellent technicians. But..." He half-smiled. "If that's what you want."

"Well...really?" Suddenly, Greg felt a lot better. Happier, more confident... "Well...thanks, I guess." He turned to leave and had his hand on the door handle, when Grissom spoke again.

"What would Allie say?"

"She..." He had to think now. "I don't know, Grissom. But this is too much of a good thing to waste." Little did he know, Allie would say the same thing not too long from now.

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(Allie POV in Miami! Also includes the CSI: Miami characters...well, two of them anyway. Evangeline is mine.)

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I arrived a long time later in Miami. Man, what a disappointment. I mean, it was nice. Good weather, even for the evening. And it really was late in the evening. I sighed as I called another taxi to take me to Miami Dade. Horatio said anytime I arrived, call him and he'd meet me there. I sent him a text telling him I'd be there in twenty. He replied with a smiley face. I rolled my eyes. They were sore, by now. Considering that I'd spent about four hours in total crying, it was quite rightly so. The taxi, a red and orange one with flames on the side, drove up and the driver came and lifted my bags in. I thanked him profusely.

"Where to?"

"Miami Dade police lab...thing." I rubbed my face. It had gone straight past red and into swollen. Not as bad as I had thought, though. The driver never said much as we drove past all the elaborate hotels and such. He dropped me off at the new lab and let me carry my own bags this time. I walked into the lab. It was brighter, more spacious, didn't smell as nice and was too open. Although, I was biased over Vegas. I walked past my new lab. So similar, but so different. I walked into their break room. I mean, our break room. Weird. I dropped my bags off and went to Reception. This whole place was way off, now that I looked closer. I started walking backwards, attempting to look at their lab and suddenly - thwack! I felt a dull throb in my arm.

"Oh, God...I am sorry." A taller guy with dark hair placed a gentle hand on my arm. "You alright? I'm sorry about that." He rubbed my arm. Wait a second...I know him!

"Ryan? Ryan Wolfe?" Yep. A Greg-A-Like.

"Yeah." He smiled wryly. "Alison Moore? You're the latest addition to the team, right?"

"No." Allie! You liar. "I mean, well...no. I work in the lab. Will do, I mean." I say 'I mean' too much. Must work on that. Although, I don't plan to do too much talking in Miami.

"I see." He stood back, eyeing me up and down. For some reason, I wanted to pull his eyes up towards my own. Never bothered me when Greg did it. "Horatio, uh, he's been telling us all about you."

"Really." I attempted to walk away from him. "Well, that's nice."

"So...do you eat?"

"Excuse me?" I turned round. "Yes, of course I eat. What _are_ you implying?"

"Nothing. I was thinking maybe we could go out-"

"No." I swanned off. I didn't mean to be rude, but I was angry, tired and upset. I stopped. "Sorry. That was rude. Thanks for the offer, but no. Not right now, Mr. Wolfe." He nodded, smiling and walked away. Down the hall, I saw Horatio chatting to the receptionist. I wanted this to be short and sweet.

"Horatio." I said, smiling. He turned around to face me.

"Well, well. How are you, Miss Moore?"

"Fine, thanks. You have my paperwork?"

"Yes." He smiled, leaning against the counter. "It's good to see you."

"Mm. Look, do you know any good places to stay for a while until I get my feet on the ground?" I was _not_ in the mood to stay with my mom. Not even Dylan could save it.

"Well," He sighed, looking off to one side. "I think..." He turned to the receptionist. "Evangeline? Can you tell me where Mr. Wolfe is?"

"Yes, Sir...he should be in the break room. Maybe the lockers...?" The blonde girl behind the desk informed Horatio. She reminded me of Bambi.

"Thank you, Eve." He smiled ad took my arm. We walked down the hall a bit and he turned to face me. "So, how have you been? You seem...different."

"I've been good, Horatio. Just...had a bad day, is all."

"Did you leave properly?"

"As good as I could." I nodded. "I, uh, had to leave my boyfriend."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too." I laughed. "I told him I loved him. Then you guys decided you'd swap us for Smith."

"Bad timing."

"Oh, yeah."

"What was his name?" Horatio asked me after a moment of silence. "The boyfriend."

"Greg. Gregory Sanders. Unsure as to whether he has a middle name." I tutted. Horatio laughed at this.

"I see." His voice was smooth yet gravelly. "And did he say he loved you?"

"Yeah. Nearly a year we knew each other. Apparently, he liked me but couldn't ask me out."

"In that case," Horatio opened the door to the break room for me and motioned for me to go first before whispering in my ear. "Watch out for Mr. Wolfe."

I was about to say that I had sorted that problem out before, when Ryan greeted us from the table. "Oh. You. Again." He put his sandwich down, flustered. "Horatio..."

"Mr. Wolfe, this is-"

"Alison Moore." The young, dark-haired boy interjected before Horatio could even think about finishing his sentence. "We met."

"Indeed we did." I said, flatly. I yawned and rested on the arm of the couch. It was green. The couch, I mean. Our old couch was perfect. Blue. But light blue, a really lovely light blue. And _so_ comfortable. This one was hard and pointy. Funny, I don't remember hating Miami Dade before. Horatio cleared his throat and went on.

"Anyway, she will be accompanying you in the field in the coming weeks, so I think you two should be getting acquainted." My phone buzzed before I could respond. Ryan said something about how great that would be. I checked my phone. Nick.

'**Are you there yet?**'

I smiled and replied - 'Yeah. But I'm not happy about it.'

Nick again - '**You'll get used to it. Maybe even like it!!!**'

Me - 'Unlikely. How is Greg?'

A while before Nick replied - '**Not the best. He'll be okay, though. He's been in with Griss for the last hour or so.**'

'Why???'

'**Don't know. Gotta go. Nick X**'

'Bye-bye, Allie XoX'

I sighed, looking up to see Horatio and Ryan looking at me. I rolled my eyes. "Uh, friend of mine. Vegas."

They nodded. "Well, Miss Moore, we should go...check out your new place." Ryan said, arms folded, tight-lipped smile on his face.

"M-my new place?"

"Yep. My spare room."

Oh. No! I did not want to stay with Ryan. Man, I didn't even want to stay in Miami. I wanted Vegas. I wanted to be back with Greg! This was just a measly consolation prize. I shook my head.

"No, thanks, Mr. Wolfe. I couldn't put you out like that. I'll take a hotel, if that's okay." I stood up sharply and walked over to beside Horatio, poured myself a coffee and set it down. I also pushed a strand of my hair - which generally went at the back of my head, might I add - out of my eye. Ryan piped up.

"Seriously, it's no trouble for me..."

"Well, no. I wouldn't feel right. Sorry." I turned to Horatio. "Wanna show me the lab, then, Sir?"

"Of course." He smiled and raised his eyebrows to Ryan, who had a blatant frown. I half-smiled and followed Horatio to the lab. This was so different...and so wrong not to find Greg and Kerrang! Magazine in the lab. Maybe it would just take time. But how much time?

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(Third Person in Vegas...hope that isn't too confusing!)

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Nick Stokes walked down the corridor of the Las Vegas Crime Lab with a severely sore back and a tired expression. Two days of over-time had not treated him well. He figured, at least, six hours sleep would have been nice. Not four. Nobody could live with just four hours of sleep. He stopped at Grissom's office and hesitated. Finally, he knocked. Grissom called a quick 'come in' whilst reading a book. Nick opened the door and stood there, quiet as a mouse. Grissom declined to look up.

"What is it, Nick?"

"Hm? Oh. Nothing." Nick said, admiring the cockroach on Grissom's desk.

"It must be something. You never come to my office unless it's bad." He snapped the book shut, took his glasses of and put the book down on his desk. "So, what's so bad?"

Nick sat down in the chair and leant back. "She's been gone, what, eight hours? Greg was moping earlier, now he's jumping about like..." He shook his head slowly, unable to come up with a good word. "Well, he was jumping about."

"When you say, 'jumping', what exactly...?"

"I mean, he was happy. Allie and Greg happy." Nick said, and was met with a confused look. "Greg when he was with Allie was the happiest I've ever seen him. The happiest I've ever seen any man."

"I see." Grissom restrained a smile. "That's what he really wants..." He mumbled.

"What does he really want?" Nick asked, frowning.

"A transfer to Miami."

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(Allie POV in Miami again)

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A while later, I explained to Horatio how much I'd miss Vegas and if maybe I could leave again. He told me to sleep on it, come back tomorrow all refreshed and sprightly. I told him it wouldn't be likely if I was going to stay, but if I had a great day, then I would. If not, I was out that door faster than lightning. I checked into a fancy hotel and woke up the next morning with a great feeling at first...then I thought about Greg and Vegas. I rolled my eyes.

"No time for those thoughts, Moore." I stood up and stretched. I had a shower, had breakfast, brushed my teeth, got changed, fixed my hair and didn't bother with any make-up. Ten minutes later, I arrived at Miami Dade. Granted, it had a cool name, but where was the fun? I mean, I know there isn't supposed to be fun...there _is_ a coroner in the lab. But the people, the spirit around the entrance. Everything was just...better.

"Hi, Miss Moore." Ryan greeted me. I waved and pursed my lips together tightly. I had full lips - but not Angelina Jolie or Steven Tyler kind of lips - so they couldn't disappear entirely. I could make my eyes disappear when I smiled, though. My eyes were really, really dark - nearly black, Greg told me - so it was all the more believable.

"Hello."

"So, how was the hotel?"

"Fine, thank you." Good, Allie. Don't venture past small talk. Do_ not_ engage in any questions with the team. Except...Horatio was an exception. The _only_ exception. My phone buzzed again. Hodges. A smiley face. I rolled my eyes and grinned. I wondered if Greg was even speaking to me. _I_ wouldn't even speak to me.

"Vegas people again?" Ryan ventured.

"Yeah. Sure." I turned off into the lab and put on the new coat. It was white _and_ blue. Lab coats were not _supposed_ to be white _and_ blue. My old one was plain old, _brilliant_ white. They call it brilliant white for a reason, you know. I tutted and walked down to the break room. Horatio was loitering outside it.

"Miss Moore...how are you feeling today?"

"Fine. Never better. What am I doing then?"

"Your job, I hope." Horatio produced a newspaper out of his back pocket and entered the break room.

"Yes, but, generally, uh, my old boss, Gil Grissom, hands out assignments. Don't you guys do that?" I asked, my voice raising by about an octave. He swivelled round, but never answered me.

"I'm sure Eric or Ryan will have something for you." And then he waltzed off. I rolled my eyes.

"Gee, Horatio...helpful." I muttered, turning round to see a short, blonde Texan. Callie Duquesne. I gasped.

"Hi there. You're the new girl, right?"

"Yep." Damn. I hated not being able to chat properly with the new people. I'm sure they all thought I was a stuck up so-and-so. I stopped and sighed. "Look, I'm coming out of an amazing relationship with the boy of my dreams. As is, he's in Vegas and I'm here. I just can't do that again. I can't and don't want to befriend anyone in this lab. Well I actually do, but I still can't! Trust me, I'm not a bitch, really!" I blurted out so fast that I wasn't sure what I was saying. Callie widened her eyes.

"Well, hi! I'm Callie Duquesne." She leant forward a little. "And I'm sure you're not a bitch, so don't worry." She laughed. I smiled. Genuinely.

"Thanks." I said. Me and Callie walked along to the lab.

"So, your boyfriend..."

"Used to work at the lab with him. We never finished, but, uh, it can't happen if I'm here, now can it?" I laughed lightly. Callie smiled feebly and nodded.

"Yeah...well, hey, good luck, okay? If you need anything, I'm always around." She smiled and headed away towards Ryan Wolfe. I nodded and headed into the - my! - lab. Maybe this wasn't as bad as I thought.

Who knows...maybe I was secretly liking it!

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**A/N: Hola dudes!**

**2, 426 words in the chapter. Sorry about that but I absolutely could **_**NOT**_** find a place to stop. Pathetic, huh? Anyways...all you amazing people R-ing and R-ing...you all rock! I am also, uberly happy to have way more than 70 reviews! So...only maybe one chapter left, then an epilogue...that's...not...right!!! Can't I just write this one fic for the next year or so?!?!? Ah, well. I a have a name for my sequel. If I get enough reviews, I may or may not tell you all...So you all know what to do ;)**

**Have a brilliant day,**

**JauntyChick**

**X**_o_**X**


	54. Chapter FiftyThree

**Ch. 53 (Allie POV!) **

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So, I finally got around to doing my job...and I had to admit; it was fun. Well, would've been way more fun had Greg and the rest of my boys been there. But still. It was a challenge. Horatio, I hadn't seen all day, and Wolfe constantly checked on me. I had loosened up a tiny bit, but I refused to let my guard down. Catherine and Sara had texted me, but Greg seemed great. I was happy about that, too. All in all, this day was shaping out amazingly well. Everyone seemed nice, friendly. Eric Delko was, apparently, another one to watch. Although, I thought he had eyes for Callie. At lunchtime, I bought a $2.79 sandwich from across the road. I reminded myself never to go there again. In fact, I almost didn't say thanks to the guy. Then it hit me - it wasn't his fault about extortion. Man, I was going soft. There was an extremely melancholic song on the radio as I was eating. For some reason, I thought it reflected nicely on my current situation. Man, I missed Greg. I pulled out my phone and found a missed message. Funny, it was Greg. I opened it quickly.

'**I 3 you :)'**

I grinned. 'I heart you, too.' Yes, I hate text speak. I mean, what is the point?

'**How's Miami?'**

Dull...I dislike it! The people are cool, though...I miss you! Of course, I didn't type that. 'Fine. They seem nice.'

'**Not me, though ;P'**

I rolled my eyes at is blatant use of smiley faces. ':O'

'**Haha! Okay, I have alleles to match. See you soon!'**

See me soon? What, was he outside? No, of course not. Just a saying, right? Right! I replied - 'Love you. Allie, XOX. PS: say hi to Hodges.'

I got a reply! **'Love you also. He says hi. XGSX.' **I wondered what XGSX meant, but obviously it was kiss, Greg Sanders, kiss. Or was X a hug? Who knows.

"Alison, where did you get that sandwich?" Horatio poked his head through the empty break room door.

"Across the road. Watch out, though. Extortion, ahoy!"

"Mm. Who was that?" He nodded to my phone. Jeez, no one in Vegas ever asked who was on my phone. Then again, generally, they knew.

"Greg."

"He okay?"

"Seems it, anyway." True, he did seem good.

"How do you like the lab, then?"

"Jeez you ask a lot of questions." I smirked, then I cleared my throat as he laughed, glancing at the floor. "It seems good. People are great. Work is not too hectic but not too slow. It's just..."

"Not your old job?"

"Exactly."

"And...you miss the people?"

"Uh, that, too." I took a bite out of my expensive-but-not-that-good sandwich.

"Especially Greg."

"Precisely."

"Mm. Well, I'll be back at the end of the day. I assume you will have made your decision, by then." He smiled, put on his sunglasses and swanned out. I nodded, knowing I'd already made my decision.

**xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx (Third Person POV in Vegas. Hope you enjoy it :) xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx**

Gregory Sanders was happy. He couldn't believe that he was happy, but for some reason he was. Grissom had told him he could leave in a week, after the party. He already had the mix-tape done, of course. He was playing resident DJ, too, deciding what songs to play and how to play them properly. He smiled, looking at the new, shiny watch Allie had bought him before she left. His initials were in the back of them. Well, two of his initials. He swore he would never reveal his middle name to anyone. Not that he was ashamed or anything, but it really wasn't a trendy name. Gregory Cedric Sanders. Not even Norwegian. He could change it, though, if he really wanted to. He sighed and changed the page of Kerrang! Suddenly, he wondered if Allie had checked her locker before she left. He did put the item in her bag...the one she left with. Of course she'd checked it... hopefully. Sara Sidle walked into the lab, dark hair parted to the one side, giving her hair a fuller, better look. She smiled.

"Hi, Greg." She greeted, and Greg noted she was leaning over the desk. She only did that when she was being sympathetic.

"Hey, Sara." He smiled.

"How are you?"

"Good. Got a match from the DNA found on the victim's neck to-" He inhaled. "The, uh, daughter of the tycoon guy." He could practically hear Sara grin her teeth. "Uh, Samuels?"

Sara maintained her grin. "That's the one." Her tone was unusually relaxed. Greg frowned.

"Yeah. So, what's up?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering if you wanted to go to lunch. Me, you, Nick, Catherine, Grissom?" She pronounced Grissom softly, sighing once she had finished. Not a tress-sigh like usual, but a content sigh.

"Sure. Grissom told you." Greg stated, checking his hair in the mirror as he stood up. It was not up to it's standards today. More...flat.

"Told me what?" Sara asked, obviously knowing already what Greg had meant.

"That I'm leaving. Or, will be." He grinned widely.

"Yeah." Sara returned to her natural state. She unclenched. "He did. Greg, are you sure? I know you love Allie, but this...this is your career."

"I know, Sara. And I think it's the right decision. I love her, you're right. But what's the point in having a great career and nobody to go home to at night?" He smirked, started walking, stopped before turning to Sara and hugging her. He nodded and walked off. Sara smiled lightly and agreed with him, silently. Surely, she would know that more than anybody.

**xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx (Allie in Miami POV!)xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx**

At the end of the day, I had made my decision at least ten or fifteen times over. I grinned, fixing my hair in the locker room. I had on a light baby-pink tank top, pale sky-blue, flouncy skirt and white, peep-toed shoes. It matched very well indeed. I stood up and noticed Ryan Wolfe staring at me. I jumped a little.

"Jeez, Mr. Wolfe...you scared the hell outta me!" I put a hand to my heart, as if to sooth it.

"Sorry. H wants me to find out if you've made your decision yet." He leant against the locker and folded his arms, staring right into my eyes now. Made a change, I thought.

"Yes. I have." I grinned. "You're a cool guy, you know." I slapped him playfully across the arm. His orange shirt and white blazer was something I myself would have chosen. His hair was shorter than the first time I had met him, too. "By the way...Natalie Boa Vista, is it?"

He nodded. "That's right."

"She likes you." I smiled and headed out, with my over-sized bag. It was unnaturally heavy. I had noticed it in the taxi, but I couldn't be bothered to investigate. I opened it and leant against the wall. There was a box, which I carried to the office. No one was there, so I sat down at the desk and opened it. It was a plain, red box. There was a pretty, red letter at the top of it. My stomach fluttered when I saw Greg's hand-writing. I laughed slightly, wondering how the hell that could've happened. I cleared my throat and opened the letter up. As I started reading, a smile spread slowly across my face.

'_My dearest Allie,_

_I know you're not fond of the idea of leaving, and neither am I. I also know you liked the necklace, so I hope you like the enclosed present, too. _

_The past couple of months have been incredible. You're the smartest, beautiful_' Beautiful had been crossed out, though. _'Most beautiful person I know. I don't want you to leave, but if you do, I love you. _Just so as you never forget it, here it is in big, red underlined___letters in Norwegian:__**Jeg Elsker Deg!**_

_Greg'_

I smiled and put the letter back in the envelope. He really could be sweet, under all the innuendo and chat, he really was thoughtful. And the Norwegian was a nice touch, I though. I opened up the tiny box that was under the letter. In it, was the most gorgeous, loveliest ring I had ever set my eyes on. It was plain silver with a lovely red stone in the middle. I thought it was a ruby, but I was so stunned! I tried it on my fingers. Surprisingly, it fitted them all. Not tight, not loose. Perfect. I settled it on my index finger and grinned. There was a faint knock on the door. I turned round to see Callie eyeing me with a curious look.

"Hope I'm not interrupting." She smirked. I put the letter and boxes back in my bag and shook my head.

"No, no. Just going to chat to Horatio."

"Ah. Well, good luck."

"Thanks, Callie. You, too." I winked, standing up and trying not to faint on account of the ring. Man, it was pretty. Too bad for Greg that I had already made my decision. My stomach fluttered every time I glanced at the ring. Damn Greg Sanders, I thought as I entered Horatio's 'room'.

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**A/N: Aaw! That was sweet, even if I do have to say it myself! Thanks again for bringing me up to eighty reviews! I am in shock! Good shock, though! So, hope you all liked...I know, I'm a sellout for writing fluff but you all are telling me how sad you are, so I thought you may have needed this!**

**Please R&R if you want. No pressure or anything :)**

**Have an amazing day,**

**JauntyChick**

**XOX**


	55. Chapter FiftyFour

Ch. 54 (Third person in Vegas!)

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Six days later, Greg Sanders could barely contain himself. He was almost bounding down the hall to give people their test results. He texted Allie every day, yet he still hadn't told her that he was coming to Miami. He was over the moon to know he'd be seeing her in less than forty-eight hours. His parents didn't take it the best, however...To be honest, he wasn't sure wether or not he should be pleased about the fact that people in the lab had barely acknowledged his leaving. He just took it in his stride. Now, if he didn't have that stupid party to attend. That evening, it was supposed to start at 6:30PM. A dinner first, then onto the rest of the night. He decided to head on over to Grissom's office for one last heart-to-heart. He grinned to himself. As if they'd ever had a heart-to-heart. Greg was too nervous and Grissom was too busy. Not exactly the makings of a good conversation. He knocked on the door and Grissom looked up and smiled.

"Hey." Greg greeted, cheerily. Grissom gave him a slight smirk.

"Hello, Greg. What's up?"

"Meh. Not much...just thought I'd come for a visit before I packed up the last of my things." He grinned, widely. Grissom looked down at his hands and sighed.

"Greg...you're not going." The supervisor said, softly. Greg couldn't believe what he had just heard. Surely this was a joke. He laughed.

"Oh, Grissom...I never did get your humour."

Grissom frowned. "It's not a joke, Greg." He sat back in his chair. "We can't let you go. Miami don't really need another lab tech."

Greg's heart fell about thirty feet into the ground. He pulled the chair over and plopped down into it. He sighed. "But you said..."

"Greg, I'm sorry. I see you had your heart set on it, but..."

"Yes, Grissom, I kind of did." Greg stood up and headed to the door.

"Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"You're still coming to this function later, aren't you?"

Greg gave out a large, heavy sigh before nodding. "Don't suppose I have anything better to do." Grissom nodded this time. As Greg left the office, he couldn't have felt much worse if he'd tried. Thankfully, he hadn't packed _anything_ yet. Some people were lucky like that. Greg decided he was one of the truly unlucky.

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(**Still third person in Vegas. Enjoy it!**)

Sara Sidle bit her lower lip as she glanced around the lab, making sure no one was coming near. Catherine Willows and Nick Stokes were underneath the lab desk, desperately frantic, trying to get this done in no less than four minutes.

"Nearly done?" Sara asked, a bit too loud. Nick shooshed her, bumping his head on the under-side of the desk.

"Sara, be _quiet_! Honestly, you're noisier than Greg." He rubbed his head, Catherine stifled a laugh.

"Sara, he didn't mean that." She smirked. Sara laughed lightly.

"Thanks, um, Nick?"

"_What_?"

"Greg's on his way." She smiled, jumping off her lab stool.

"Man, there is _zero_ privacy in this place." He and Catherine sidled out from under the desk and regained their composure quickly.

"Get over it, Nick. Be thankful that you're not Hodges. Everybody knows what he's up to."

Nick pondered this for a moment. "True." Suddenly, the door opened and in walked Greg. He eyed the three CSIs curiously.

"Hey. What's going on?" He asked Catherine.

"Nothing!" Sara smiled. Nick cleared his throat. Greg couldn't help but frown. He was, after all, in an extreme state of confusion.

"We were looking for you, Greg. You weren't around." Catherine shook her head. "It can wait, though. Uh, we have to go..." Catherine took Nick and Sara by the arms and pulled them out. "Bye!"

"I-" Greg put his index finger up to protest, but put it down quickly again. He wondered what the hell was going on.

Out of the lab and down the hall, Nick, Sara and Catherine were busy chattering away. "Do you think Grissom told him anything yet?"

"I don't know. Sara, go ask Grissom, Nick...uh...you...you go find out what time the, uh, other decorations are coming in, okay?" Catherine smiled and turned off for the break room. Sara shook her head.

"Why do I have to ask?"

"Uh, you're going out with him. He's nice to you." Nick scoffed. "I should've gotten in there first." He clicked his fingers, sarcastically. Sara smirked.

"Too little, too late, Nick. Besides," Sara pushed Grissom's door open and pulled her dark-red tank-top down a little. "He isn't your type." Nick tutted. Why did nobody in that lab take him seriously?

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(**Allie POV!**)

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I watched the day outside. It was sunny, yet chilly, with just a dash of amazingly pretty golden lights off in the sunset. As I took a sip of my smuggled-to-Miami Blue Hawaiian, I nodded to myself.

This was definitely the right decision.

No doubt about it.

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**A/N: Ooh! Intrigue! What are Nick, Catherine and Sara up to??? Where **_**is**_** Allie??? Why is Grissom being such a swine and not allowing Greg to go to Miami? Coincidence - I think not! Ooh, hope that doesn't give it all away!**

**Sorry for the rubbish chapter. I'm rusty on third person. **

**And it was too short. And what was the Allie POV all about??? Way too short. Sorry everyone :)**

**Next chapter: The penultimate! Or the finale...not sure yet. Please R&R!**

**Also, thank you so, so much to Dancing Sparrow, whom I forgot to thank in chapter Fifty-Three, I am sorry and thanks for your Norwegian expertise! **

**Have a great rest of the day,**

**JauntyChick**

**XOX**


	56. Chapter FiftyFive

Ch. 55 (I'm not going to tell you who's POV this is...I'm sure you all will figure it out. I'll give you a clue - it's a chick! Enjoy it, readers!)

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I walked onto the dancefloor. It was huge, I noted. Then again, there were plenty of people here. I bit my lower lip. The fluorescent lights of the ceiling ricocheted off the floor leaving an incandescent air to fill the room. I smiled, waving to a person whom I had seen dozens of times, but I'd never spoken to. I realised there were a few faces tonight that I shared the same problem with. I walked up to the bar and ordered sparkling grape juice. The waiter - Alfonso - handed it to me with a smile. I thanked him and waked off. I saw a friend of mine. She grinned like the Cheshire cat and waved frantically. I waved back, laughing to myself. I took a sip of my drink. The music playing was exceptionally good, from what I had expected. Part rock, part pop and just a little jazz. I played with the bottom of my dress. It was light pink at the top, transcending into a darker, dusky pink at the bottom. My shoes were white high-heels. Plain, really. A pink bow decorated the side of them. I had a necklace with two hearts interlinked. One had diamonds on it, too. I took a seat in the corner of the room, hidden away until I finished my drink. I got up and started walking through the room. I saw a medium cluster of people that I was lose to. I smiled and waved...there was, however, on missing element. I turned round and saw that particular element standing there, back turned to me. I frowned, placing a hand on my hips. The music took a spectacular change from Good Charlotte to Colbie Caillat - 'Bubbly'. I started walking toward the element, clandestinely. As I got closer to him, my stomach started fluttering uncontrollably and I had the severe urge to turn and run out. Too late, though. I already been spotted minutes before. I inhaled, smiled, exhaled. The element took a sip of his drink. It looked clear, like a lemonade or something. After what seemed like a half hour, I was finally stood behind him. He seemed oblivious. I needed to formulate a plan. I needed to know what I was going to say when he turned round. People came up to him and complimented him on the music. He only shrugged and muttered a quick 'thanks'. I smiled at his cute awkwardness.

'_**I've been awake for a while now...you've got me feelin' like a child now...cause every time I see your bubbly face, I get the tinglies in a silly place...' **_

I finally mustered up the spirit to stand on my tip-toes and place my hands over his eyes. I leant up to him - He was a good head taller than me - and whispered in his ear. "Guess who..."

He sighed, shaking his head underneath my hands. "Catherine, I don't wanna dance...maybe later, like I said, but no. Not right now." I suppressed a quick laugh.

"Guess again?" I spoke louder. He raised his eyebrows.

"I...no way."

"Uh, you'll have to turn round to find out." I let go of his face and folded my arms. Slowly, intricately, he turned round to face me. His now-dark hair was amazing, although nothing compared to his eyes. A slow, lazy smile crept up on his face. Seeing this, I couldn't help but do the same.

'_**It starts in my toes and I crinkle my nose, wherever it goes - I always know that you make me smile...please stay for a while now...just take your time, wherever you go...'**_

"Allie- how?"

"Oh, you know...air-mail." I winked. He fumbled about with his hands for a long moment.

"I thought you'd chosen Miami..."

"No!" I shrieked, throwing my hands up in the air. "Gregory Sanders, I would never chose a whole state over you!"

He tilted his head awkwardly. Suddenly, he bolted up right and lifted me up a foot off the ground. "Allie Moore, you rock!" He yelled. I burst out laughing.

"Put...me...down!" I choked between laughs.

"Never!" He laughed.

"Greg!"

"Allie!" He put me down and stared at me for a long second. I felt my face getting extremely warm so I looked at everything that wasn't Greg.

"Uh," I stared at my feet. "I-I trained Ted so as he could go instead of me. Well, I hoped I'd have him trained in time, but he's gonna have to take another week or so. Fledglings, huh?"

"Mm." He was still staring at me. Not even at _me_ but at my eyes. We were quiet for the next little while. At least half a minute, I'd say. Colbie was still singing away in the background.

"Greg! Will you say _something_, please?" I yelled, getting kind of nervous. Greg moved closer to me and put a hand on my waist. I swallowed. He pushed me towards the wall and kissed me. It was...well, let's just say there aren't many words to describe 'that' kiss. He pulled away for a moment, and I was about to protest, but Catherine walked up to us. She squealed, clapping her hands.

"Allie! You're back!" She yelled. I nodded, slightly out of breath from all that...ooh. I rubbed my head. "I didn't think you'd get here in time!" She turned to Greg. "You see yesterday, when me, Nick and Sara were in the lab? We were trying to call Allie!"

"Were you? When was that?" I asked, confused. I was probably sleeping at that time.

"Whoa, whoa...when did you get back?" Greg asked, obviously dumbfounded. "And why aren't you in Miami? How...?"

"Calm down, babe." I touched his arm, reassuringly. He shook his head and sat up in the stool. Catherine and me did the same.

"Okay, I got there about, what...six days ago? Yeah, I spent one full day in the lab. Horatio told me to sleep on it." I explained the other couple of days to Greg. "...and he wished me all the best as long as I got him a proper replacement. One I thought could've done the job to my abilities."

"Who did you pick?" Catherine interjected.

"Ted." I grinned. Greg looked at me disgustedly.

"Ted?"

"Ted!" I laughed. "Perfect, right? So, Cath...how was Greg here coping without me?"

""He asked for a transfer. The you told Nick you were coming back, don't tell this boy!" She pointed to Greg, grinning. "And so, Grissom and me had to pull out all the stops to cancel his transfer."

I was shocked. Greg, embarrassed, stared at his feet. My heart actually melted at that precise minute! "Gregory Sanders...is this true?"

"Yes."

"Oh, my God, you are the bomb!" I reached up and pulled him into a hug. That was it. The moment I knew I was entirely, completely in love with Greg. I mean, I twigged it before but know there was nothing in my way. Catherine took this as a sign and left immediately. "Greg...thank you."

"What for?"

"Well, for asking for the transfer. Then for not going. And, I suppose..."

'_**The rain is fallin' on my window pane, but we are hidin' in a safer place - under covers, stayin' safe and warm...you give me feelings that I adore!' **_

"Thank you for just...being you." Me and Greg laughed. "Oh, man! _That_ was corny. Sorry."

"No problem, Al...just, don't leave again, all right?" He looked down at me, smiling. I nodded, before looking over at the floor. "You wanna dance?"

"Yes!" I clapped my hands, then Greg led me onto the dancefloor.

'_**It starts in my toes, makes me crinkle my nose, wherever it goes...I always know, that you make me smile now, please stay for a while now...just take your time, wherever you go.'**_

I rested my head against Greg's chest. He put his head gently on my own head. This was amazing.

'_**I've been asleep for a while now...you tuck me in just like a child now...cause very time you hold me in your arms, I'm comfortable enough to feel your warmth...'**_

He spun me out, then back in before dipping me. I giggled. Greg put his fore head against my own. I bit my lip and then I wrapped my hands around his neck and kissed him, gently. He kissed me back, placing his hands strategically on the lower part of my back...Yep, I thought to myself - smiling under the kiss -, definitely the right choice.

'_**It starts in my soul and I lose all control...when you kiss my nose, the feelin' shows, cause you make me smile...baby just take your time now, holdin' me tight...' **_

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Catherine Willows sat in her chair, nursing a glass of white wine as she watched Greg and Allie attempting to dance. She sighed, looking at her watch. Her date was supposed to be here two hours ago. Unlikely he'd show anytime soon. She heard someone pull a chair next to her. She turned round to see Nick.

"Date stood you up?" He asked, taking a sip of...apple juice? She cursed Allie for getting everyone on the team so unadventurous when it came to drinking. She sighed, smiling pitifully.

"Yep. I should've known when he said he was late for his own mother's funeral." She joked. Nick laughed. He tended to laugh easier around Catherine. "What about yourself?"

"Yeah...as you can see, she's a tad busy." He pointed to Stephanie Cranes. Some might have called her a 'high-flyer'. Usually seen plastered all over Grissom, Ecklie and now Smith. Nick laughed again, staring down at her feet. "Man, she asked _me_!" Catherine chuckled.

"Oh, Nicky...isn't it obvious? Grissom was taken."

"Mm." He looked over at Grissom and Sara, dancing peacefully in the corner with each other. Although...Grissom didn't look too natural when he danced. "So, uh..." Catherine enjoyed the way Nick elongated all his words. Especially with that Texan accent. She looked over at him. "You dancin'?"

She cocked her head to the side. "You askin'?"

"I'm askin'."

"Then I suppose..." She stood up, showing off her strapless, silver-sequined long dress and high silver-sequined shoes. Nick swallowed. "I'm dancin', too." She smirked, holding hr hand out to him. Of course, being the true gentleman he was, he accepted. Graciously.

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Sara Sidle had never been happier in her life. She loved this whole scenario, albeit cliche. And Sara was _not_ a cliche-type of girl. Gil Grissom, however, wasn't too happy about being forced to dance. It never came naturally to him. Then again, neither did the words 'I love you', yet that was something that was slowly, but surely, coming to grips with. He lowered has hand down to the small of Sara's back.

"Sara?"

"Mm?"

"Have I ever spoken to you in sign language?" He asked, pulling back slightly so as he could see Sara. She frowned.

"Uh...not...no." She shook her head, puckering her lips as she did. "Why don't you show me?"

"Okay." He pulled back completely and started fumbling about with his hands. Sara suppressed a laugh. "Any ideas?"

"Nope." Sara shook her head.

"Hm. That was, 'nice eyes'." He smirked.

Sara laughed, biting her lip. "Thanks. Anything else?"

He started again. "Anything?" Head-shake from Sara. He nodded. "That was, 'I like your laugh'."

Sara laughed heartily. Grissom laughed, a rare occasion by anyone's standards. "Okay...that all you've got, Gil?"

"Well," He leant himself against a near-by wall. "There is one." He shuffled his hands about a little as Sara watched intently.

"Uh...you've got a pretty ear?"

"No. That one was 'I love you'." He smiled. Now _that_ was a cliche! Sara rolled her eyes.

"Me, too. Although, Gil?" She asked, leading him back to the floor.

"Mm?"

"I really, really think you need to practice on your dancing skills." She raised her eyebrows at him and he glared, pulling her in for a hug.

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Warrick Brown refused to argue with women, if that was at all possible. His wife, Tina was sitting in the corner refusing to talk to him. He sighed, taking a sip of beer. There were days he thought that marriage was the best decision of his life...other days, it was the biggest mistake. He got up and sat next to her. He hadn't _meant_ to comment on her weight, it just...happened.

"Tina?" He asked, smoothly putting a hand on her back.

"What?" She snapped, seething. Warrick frowned.

"Look, I'm sorry. You look amazing."

"I'm fat, Warrick. You basically said so yourself." Tina started preening her flat, dark hair. He eyes were dark, but there was a certain sparkle in her eye that drew her to Warrick in the first place.

"I didn't! Tina, look, you gotta take a load off-"

"Yeah, I got that impression earlier, 'Rick." She stood up and waltzed off.

"Hey, yo, Tina!" He got up and after her. "Listen-"

"I cannot believe you have the absolute gall to follow me, Warrick." She yelled.

"Look, if you're gonna be like this then how are we gonna make it to fifty years married, Tina?"

"Well," Tina shuffled her feet...it took her a few moments but she finally recoiled. She smiled. "Come on. Let's dance!" She pulled him onto the floor and started dancing around. Then she stopped, pointing a finger at Warrick. "But - I am not gonna lose any weight for you, Warrick. I'm a healthy size."

"Oh..." Warrick laughed. "So, _that's_ why that little dress didn't fit?!"

Tina adopted a feigned look of shock and smacked Warrick across the arm playfully. He leant in for a kiss, deciding this was definitely one fo those good days.

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David Hodges _hated_ dancing. He wasn't sure why, but was almost positive it was because of his mother making him take lessons when he was twelve. Sitting on his own, in the corner, he took a drink of water. He vowed never to drink again after the other's night's fiasco. He was sure he'd seen Allie earlier, but how could he have? She was in Miami and-

"Hodges, how would you like to dance?" Karen Taylor, one of the day-shift CSIs, came up to him. Red dress and diamond earrings. Hodges snorted.

"No, thanks."

Sofia rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm getting paid to ask you. If you say yes, I'm getting paid to dance with you. If you do, I'll split the money in half. Found money as far as you're concerned." She folded her arms.

"But-"

"I hate dancing. I hate this dress. Just...get up, will you?" Her hair was dyed black and red and she had a real punk attitude. Hodges wasn't best fond of her, either. She was nasty, bitchy and a gossip. Just his type. He stood up.

"Fine. But I won't be happy about it." Karen smiled. "By the way, who's paying us?"

"Moore, over there." She pointed to Allie. Allie turned round to see Hodges glaring and shaking his head. Allie smiled pitifully and shrugged, mouthing a quick 'sorry' before turning on her heel to dance with Sanders. Hodges rolled his eyes. At least she was trying...then again, he and Karen were well suited. Maybe that's what she was going for. Not ten minutes later, Hodges had attracted the attention of several more women to himself after showing off his supreme dancing skills. Now, he decided, dancing wasn't _that_ bad.

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(ALLIE POV!)

At the end of the night, I complimented Greg on his musical taste several times. It was true, I really loved it. Except Marilyn Manson of course. It seemed everyone had a great evening. Poor Hodges, however, didn't seem too impressed with Karen. Not that she looked any happier about anything. I sat myself right next to Greg, who was sitting yattering to Archie about some vampire film or other. I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Sanders!" I slapped him. Archie noticed Catherine and immediately ran after her. Greg furrowed his brow.

"Ow! That hurt, Moore!"

"Good. It was meant to." I laughed. Greg looked over at the dancefloor. It was getting late, people wee leaving. People except our team. Catherine and Nick, Warrick and Tina and Grissom and Sara hadn't gotten off the floor all night.

"So, why did you come back?"

I was shocked. Of all the questions. "Well, I- you, of course. I stammered. "Greg, when I said the other day...I didn't mean it the way it came out. I mean, you really annoyed me when I started working here but...I love you, Sanders." He grabbed hold of my hand. _So _cheesy. I grinned. "And hey, Miami's equipment isn't all that much better than here. Opportunities, my foot!" I shook my head.

"I love you, too, Allie." He stretched out a little. "See that mix-tape?"

"Mm."

"I was meant to give that to you but...then all this happened and..." He trailed off, shrugging his shoulders. Then, a smile attached itself to his face. "You look gorgeous, by the way. I never managed to say it earlier."

"Yeah, you were, uh, too busy drowning in your own drool." I teased, playing with his tie. I had to say, too, Greg looked wonderful. Tuxedos were definitely an option for him.

"Did you always have it planned to send Ted to Miami?"

"No." I shook my head. "It only struck me when Horatio said if I could find a suitable replacement of myself, he'd let me go."

"Why not Hodges?"

"Cause. I have no beef with Hodges. He said he likes me. Like a sister." I whispered. Greg opened his mouth, slightly shocked, I reckon. Suddenly, he leant over and kissed me. I had to smile because nearly every time he tried to kiss me that evening, we got interrupted.

"How do you do it, Allie?"

"Do what?"

"That thing you do. You know, the eye-roll, smile and frown thing at the same time?"

"I didn't know I could do that. But, uh, thanks. You know, you have the cutest little grin at times. Like a half-smile. Lopsided, I reckon."

"Do I?" He did it. I laughed, kissing him again.

"Mm-hm. Oh," I pulled back. "I _love_ this song!" I stood up, guiding Greg to the floor. I sighed. This was _definitely_ perfection. Then again, who'd have perfection when you could have the closest thing to it: Greg Sanders?

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**A/N: Bravo! Oh... (**_**Wipes tears away**_**) That was good, even if I do say so myself. Oh! Now, business... The song used was 'Bubbly' by Colbie Caillat, as per requested by Rachel. You're right, brilliant song! **

**I don't own CSI Vegas or Miami, CBS or any of it's affiliates. I do however own: Allie Moore, Dylan Moore, Bonnie Moore-Mullins and Eric Moore. Rufus the dog, who's name I had great difficulty remembering. I also own Frank and Diane Driver. I also own Ted, the tech, Antoinette and Michael Loggins, although he is based slightly on one of the guys from LOST. If I had someone play Victor Smith, it would be Victor Garber. Carl Mullins is based slightly on someone I know, so I only partially own him. Allie Moore, coincidentally is based entirely on me - whom I own completely! The only thing is...she hates fish and I love fish, so there. I don't own any of the songs mentioned in my fic but I do own the band 'Jenga Monkey'. Far as I know, they aren't real. **

**Thank you so much to everyone who read, liked and took major time out to review. You all rock! I must say, I enjoyed writing this story immensely and can't wait to start the sequel. It will, however, take me some time to post it. I will **_**start**_** writing it soon, though. **

**So, once more, thanks to everybody...hope you liked this chapter as it took a while to write. There's an epilogue on the way, too!**

**Live long in prosper, peace, love and unity, squee I'm a tree - Have an excellent rest of the week!**

**JauntyChick**

**XOXOXOXOXOX**


	57. Epilogue

Epilogue...

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So there we have it. That's my story. Hope I didn't bore you all too much.

Two years on, myself and Greg couldn't be happier. Dylan moved back into our old house - yes, now I live with Greg! - with Frank and their friend Jake. They now have full care of Rufus, too. Mom and Carl are still married, although I'm not sure how. I finally met Mrs. Sanders...she really, really liked me! Papa Olaf was great even though I was very nervous about meeting him. Then, he showed me a picture of his wife - Greg's grandma - and I absolutely nearly died! She looked just like _me_! Well, her hair was more coppery, but still! Her eyes, the shape of her face...just, wow.

Dad and Jimmy Mead are almost joined at the hip, going on cruises and whatnot. Dad also has a major hand in the golf industry. He's made a lot of money through that business. And poker! He's really, _really_ good at poker.

Okay, okay...I hear you all shouting out and asking me what has become of the team. Well, fear not...our wonder couple - Grissom and Sara, obviously - are now living together, although it's only me and Greg that know it. Warrick and Tina are great. I think I may have sorted that one out for the minute. Tina seems nice, although Nick and her still have issues. Uh...Victor Smith is a really cool guy, I have since discovered. He's sweet, funny...very camp. But he does have a majorly good serious side whenever he's handling a case. He and Grissom get on well. Nick has since been seen out - at least four or five times! - with Antoinette. He hasn't said anything about it, though.

Greg? Well...what _can_ I say? He's perfect. Oh, you mean how is he? He's been going out into the field more...his sister had a baby girl, Tallulah. Poor Greg is still trying to get over that one. It amazes me how good he is with babies. Well, she's one-and-a-half now, but she's still so tiny!

And...I suppose that's it. Oh, sure...I have absolutely loads more stories to tell. Oh, the door's opening. It's Greg! Oh, the stomach fluttering? Still there!

"Al, you coming in?" He asks. His hair is still short...but now he's gone blonde. Dirty blonde, I think he says. I smile.

"Yeah. Be there in a minute."

Then he comes over and sits besides me. I can't help but break out into a stupid smile. He ruffles my hair up a bit. "What _are_ you writing?" He nods to the giant, pink book in my hands. I snap it shut quickly.

"Nothing!"

"Is that...porn?"

"Oh, Greg!" I slap him over the arm. "Mind _out_ of the gutter, please." He snaps his fingers. "And, no. Nothing of the sort."

"Sorry...so...my mom wants _you_ to come over on Sunday."

"Cool. Tell her we'll be there."

"No." He shakes his head. "_You._ Just you! It's like you're her favourite kid now." He pouted. _So_ cute!

"Yes..." I lean over and plant one on him. By one, I of course mean a kiss...I've just been spending too much time with him. He puts a hand on my back, almost surprised. I pull away. "Is that...steak, I smell?"

"Uh...maybe." He smiles. Man, that smile could break _and_ melt a thousand hearts per minute. I sigh. Then I get up and take his hand.

"Then I guess...we'd better go."

"Yep. Race you!" He flashes me another smile and runs back into the house. I've been training him to cook, you see. He really does have a knack for it, too. As I walk into the house I try and think on a way to end this story...Then it hits me:

**LE FIN! **


End file.
